f 


IfiiiTT  GUYBALLARD 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


B 
S9152b 


Illinois  Historical  Surve 


L'B, 
OF  THE 


CAPTAIN  STREETER 
PIONEER 


BY 

E.   G.    BALLARD,   A.B. 

« 

AUTHOR  OF  "LIBERTY.  INDEPENDENCE  AND  SELF-GOVERNMENT" 


EMERY  PUBLISHING  SERVICE 
CHICAGO    ::::::     1914 


COPYRIGHT.    1914 
BY  CECIL  EMERY 


THIS    BOOK   IS  DEDICATED  TO   THE   MEMORY   OF 

THAT  GREAT  PATRIOT  AND  STATESMAN, 

THE  LATE  GOVERNOR  JOHN    P.  ALTGELD, 

WHO,  SHORTLY  BEFORE  HIS  DEATH,   REQUESTED 

THAT  IT  BE  WRITTEN 


'///  fares  the  land,  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates,  and  men  decay." 

—  OLIVER  GOLDSMITH. 


PREFACE 

In  this  volume  I  have  sought  to  give  to  the 
youth  of  the  land,  and  the  coming  generations 
as  well,  a  true,  connected,  and  comprehensive 
picture  of  pioneer  life  and  all  of  its  old-time 
customs,  which  are  fast  passing  from  the  memory 
of  man.  In  this  sense  I  hope  that  I  have  con- 
tributed something  of  historical  and  permanent 
value.  I  know  of  no  grander  or  no  more  typical 
specimen  of  the  real  pioneer  than  Captain  George 
Wellington  Streeter,  whose  characteristics  and  life 
history  I  have  endeavored  to  relate,  and  I  know 
of  no  more  formidable  adversary  to  the  Dollar 
Hogs  of  America,  with  whom  he  has  grappled 
and  battled  at  short  range  for  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  century. 

I  have  also  sought  to  bring  to  light  in 
this  book  illustrations  of  the  indisputable  fact 
that  to  accomplish  their  ends  they  will  violate 
every  law  on  the  statute  books,  without  a  single 
exception.  They  are  conscienceless  and  inexor- 
able outlaws  whose  only  love  is  for  dollars  and 
luxuries.  They  have  certainly  enjoyed  their  fill, 
but  the  day  of  reckoning  is  at  hand,  and  the 


6  Preface 

American  people  will  be  as  merciless  and  inexor- 
able in  their  treatment  of  such  scoundrels  and 
inhuman  monsters  as  any  people  who  have  ever 
lived  in  the  past.  The  lion  is  only  sleeping,  but 
he  will  awake.  I  am  going  to  give  him  a  sharp 
prod  and  see  what  will  happen. 

EVERETT  GUY  BALLARD. 
Chicago,  111.,  September  30,  1913. 


CAPTAIN  STREETER,  PIONEER 
CHAPTER  I 

ANCESTRY 

"Get  out  of  there!"  shouted  in  stentorian  tones, 
greeted  my  ears  one  fine  morning  in  May  as  I 
was  strolling  aimlessly  about  over  a  tract  of  land 
familiarly  known  to  every  resident  of  Chicago 
under  the  dual  title  of  "Streeterville"  and  "The 
District  of  Lake  Michigan." 

My  eyes  sought  instinctively  the  direction  from 
whence  came  this  peremptory  injunction  to  move 
on,  and  I  saw  about  a  hundred  yards  distant  the 
gentleman  who  had  thus  summarily  challenged 
me.  He  was  a  small,  wiry-looking  man,  with  red 
hair  and  mustache  and  clean-cut  features.  Upon 
closer  view  I  looked  into  clear  blue  eyes  which 
never  for  an  instant  wavered  in  their  gaze,  but 
which  looked  me  through  and  through.  He 
seemed  to  be  a  man  of  about  sixty,  but  I  learned 
later  that  he  was  past  seventy-three  years  of  age. 

I  had  read  enough  about  "Streeterville"  and 
its  occupant  to  know  intuitively  that  I  beheld 


8  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

Captain  Streeter,  the  famous  battler  of  the  Chi- 
cago lake  front.  The  further  fact  that  he  grasped 
in  his  hands  an  old  Springfield  repeater  equipped 
with  a  bayonet,  which  was  tilted  threateningly 
in  my  direction,  fully  convinced  me  that  my 
conjecture  was  correct.  I  became  straightway 
possessed  of  the  desire  to  make  his  acquaintance, 
so,  instead  of  taking  to  my  heels,  I  saluted  in 
the  most  approved  military  fashion  and  advanced 
toward  the  belligerent  gentleman  with  the  red 
hair. 

As  soon  as  I  came  within  speaking  distance 
I  opened  hostilities  by  asking  him  a  question: 
"Is  this  Captain  Streeter?"  His  answer  was 
prompt  and  pointed:  "It  is.  What  are  you 
doing  here?" 

Without  unnecessary  delay  I  assured  the  "Cap- 
tain" that  my  mission  was  entirely  peaceful;  that 
I  did  not  claim  a  foot  of  his  territory,  nor  did 
I  represent  anyone  who  did;  and  further  that 
I  was  pleased  to  make  his  acquaintance  even 
under  such  unfavorable  auspices. 

The  "Captain"  was  mollified  at  once,  and  his 
demeanor  underwent  a  rapid  transformation. 
Cordiality  and  good  humor  such  as  I  have  rarely 
seen  north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line  beamed 
from  his  hitherto  rigidly  stern  countenance.  He 


Ancestry  9 

quickly  advised  me  that  he  had  been  greatly 
pestered  by  surveyors  who  had  been  stealthily 
prowling  about  over  his  land  attempting  to  make 
a  survey  for  a  fence,  and  that  he  had  repeatedly 
chased  them  away  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
He  had  supposed,  naturally,  that  I  belonged  to 
their  brigade,  and  he  did  not  intend  that  I  should 
steal  a  march  on  him. 

Perceiving,  doubtless,  that  I  was  in  a  talkative 
mood,  he  invited  me  to  come  over  to  his  home, 
which  was  a  one-story  brick  structure  only  a  few 
paces  distant.  I  accepted  the  invitation,  and  we 
were  soon  seated  on  settees  and  deeply  engaged 
in  earnest  conversation,  while  our  eyes  glanced 
out  now  and  then  over  the  beautiful  waters  of 
the  lake. 

Naturally  I  was  interested  to  know  something 
of  the  Captain's  claim  of  ownership  to  this  highly 
valuable  tract  of  land  called  Streeterville,  in  the 
very  heart  of  Chicago,  and  the  Captain  gave 
me  every  feature  and  fact  relating  thereto  with- 
out the  slightest  reserve. 

My  interest  was  so  aroused  by  the  recital  that 
I  was  anxious  to  learn  of  his  birth  and  ancestry, 
for  I  felt  sure  that  such  an  indomitable 
spirit  did  not  come  of  a  mean  strain  of  people, 
but  must  perforce  have  sprung  from  the  best 


10  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

blood  of  the  nation.  My  surmise  was  abundantly 
well  founded,  as  the  reader  will  learn  from  the 
graphic  story  of  his  life  which  the  "Captain" 
began  on  that  beautiful  May  morning  and  con- 
tinued from  time  to  time  as  we  met  in  the  days 
and  weeks  following  our  dramatic  encounter.  I 
shall  endeavor  to  faithfully  reproduce  this  story 
in  the  very  language  of  the  "Captain": 

My  father,  William  Streeter,  and  my  mother, 
Catharine  Marion,  were  married  in  Canandaigua, 
New  York,  in  the  year  1832,  and  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Wolverine  State,  then  the  Far  West 
of  the  national  domain,  they  came  to  the  little 
city  of  Detroit.  Their  purpose  was  to  get  a 
start  in  this  new  country  and  grow  up  with  it. 
They  were  both  of  good  old  Revolutionary  stock. 
My  paternal  grandfather  was  a  drum  major  in 
the  War  of  1812,  and  died  while  playing  a  drum 
at  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  at  Pine  Run, 
Michigan,  many  years  later,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  one  hundred  and  five  years.  His  father  had 
been  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  had  been  with 
Washington  in  all  his  campaigns. 

My  mother,  with  her  father  and  mother,  had 
come  from  South  Carolina,  and  her  maiden  name 
was  Marion.  They  were  from  the  same  family 


Ancestry  11 

which  produced  the  great  revolutionary  hero, 
General  Francis  Marion,  the  "Swamp  Fox  of 
the  South,"  whose  daring  deeds  and  zealous 
love  of  liberty  will  live  forever  in  the  hearts  of 
American  freemen. 

It  was  General  Marion  who  so  loved  these 
priceless  principles,  for  which  our  forefathers 
fought,  that  during  the  long  years  of  the  great 
conflict  he  wore  across  his  cap  band  the  im- 
mortal words  of  Patrick  Henry,  "Liberty  or 
Death" ;  and  he  lived  and  acted  up  to  them.  And 
he  was  a  man  of  such  just  and  noble  character 
that  in  his  early  manhood  during  wars  with  the 
Indians  his  soul  revolted  against  the  orders  of 
his  superior  officers  to  burn  down  the  villages 
and  destroy  the  cornfields  of  the  poor  Indians. 
I  have  in  my  possession  an  old  letter  written  by 
him  to  a  friend  concerning  this  very  matter,  which 
is  more  than  a  hundred  years  old.  I  feel  confi- 
dent that  you  will  enjoy  hearing  this  letter  read, 
and  I  shall  take  the  time  to  read  it  to  you: 

"We  arrived  at  the  Indian  towns  in  the  month 
of  July.  As  the  lands  were  rich  and  the  season 
had  been  favorable,  the  corn  was  bending  under 
the  double  weight  of  lusty  roasting  ears  and  pods 
of  clustering  beans.  The  furrows  seemed  to 
rejoice  under  their  precious  loads,  the  fields 


12  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

stood  thick  with  bread.  We  camped  the  first 
night  in  the  woods,  near  the  fields,  where  the 
whole  army  feasted  on  young  corn,  which,  with 
fat  venison,  made  a  delicious  treat. 

"The  next  morning  we  proceeded,  by  order  of 
Colonel  Grant,  to  burn  down  the  Indians'  cabins. 
Some  of  our  men  seemed  to  enjoy  this  cruel  work, 
laughing  very  heartily  at  the  curling  flames  as 
they  mounted  loud  crackling  over  the  tops  of 
the  huts.  But  to  me  it  appeared  a  shocking  sight. 
Poor  creatures!  thought  I,  we  surely  need  not 
grudge  you  such  miserable  habitations.  But 
when  we  came,  according  to  orders,  to  cut  down 
the  fields  of  corn,  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
tears.  For  who  could  see  the  stalks  that  stood 
so  stately  with  broad  green  leaves  and  gaily 
tasseled  shocks,  filled  with  sweet  milky  fluid  and 
flour,  the  staff  of  life;  who,  I  say,  without  grief, 
could  see  these  sacred  plants  sinking  under  our 
swords  with  all  their  precious  load,  to  wither 
and  rot  untasted  in  their  mourning  fields? 

"I  saw  everywhere  around  the  footsteps  of  the 
little  Indian  children,  where  they  had  lately 
played  under  the  shade  of  their  rustling  corn. 
No  doubt  they  had  often  looked  up  with  joy  to 
the  swelling  shocks,  and  were  gladdened  when 
they  thought  of  their  abundant  cakes  for  the  com- 


Ancestry  13 

ing  winter.  When  we  are  gone,  thought  I,  they 
will  return,  and,  peeping  through  the  weeds  with 
tearful  eyes,  will  mark  the  ghastly  ruin  poured 
over  their  homes  and  happy  fields,  where  they 
had  so  often  played. 

"'Who  did  this?'  they  will  ask  their  mothers. 

"  'The  white  people  did  it,'  the  mothers  reply; 
'the  Christians  did  it!' 

"Thus  for  cursed  Mammon's  sake,  the  follow- 
ers of  Christ  have  sown  the  hellish  tares  of  hatred 
in  the  bosoms  even  of  pagan  children. 

"After  burning  twenty  towns,  and  destroying 
thousands  of  cornfields,  the  army  returned  to 
Koewee,  where  the  Little  Carpenter,  a  Cherokee 
chief,  met  Colonel  Grant  and  concluded  a  peace." 

This  same  noble  character  so  impressed  his  love 
of  these  sacred  sentiments  upon  a  young  British 
officer  whom  he  met  to  arrange  for  an  exchange 
of  prisoners,  that  he  resigned  his  commission 
because  he  thought  it  useless  to  fight  men  who 
loved  liberty  with  such  a  burning  passion.  Be- 
ing invited  to  dine,  he  found  that  the  bill  of 
fare  consisted  solely  of  baked  sweet  potatoes 
served  on  pieces  of  bark,  with  a  log  for  a  table. 
Perceiving  also  that  the  majority  of  Marion's 
men  were  almost  naked  and  barefooted,  and  that 
the  General  himself  was  but  poorly  clad,  he 


14  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

could  not  refrain  from  commenting  upon  such 
a  life.  When  he  learned  in  addition  to  this  that 
Marion  served  without  pay,  he  was  astounded. 
The  General  answered  him: 

"Why,  sir,  these  things  depend  on  feeling. 
The  heart  is  all;  and,  when  that  is  much  inter- 
ested, a  man  can  do  anything.  Many  a  youth 
would  think  it  hard  to  indent  himself  a  slave  for 
fourteen  years;  but  let  him  be  over  head  and 
ears  in  love,  and  with  such  a  beauteous  sweet- 
heart as  Rachael,  and  he  will  think  no  more  of 
fourteen  years'  servitude  than  young  Jacob  did. 

"Well,  now,  this  is  exactly  my  case.  I  am  in 
love;  and  my  sweetheart  is  Liberty.  Be  that 
heavenly  nymph  my  companion,  and  these  wilds 
and  woods  shall  have  charms  beyond  London  and 
Paris  in  slavery.  To  have  no  proud  monarch 
driving  over  me  with  his  gilt  coaches,  nor  his 
host  of  excisemen  and  taxgatherers  insulting  and 
robbing  me;  but  to  be  my  own  master,  my  own 
prince  and  sovereign,  gloriously  preserving  my 
national  dignity,  and  pursuing  my  true  happi- 
ness; planting  my  vineyards,  and  eating  their 
luscious  fruits ;  sowing  my  fields,  and  reaping  the 
golden  grain;  and  seeing  millions  of  my  brothers 
all  around  me,  equally  free  and  as  happy  as  my* 
self,  this,  sir,  is  what  I  long  for." 


Ancestry  15 

The  officer  replied  that,  both  as  a  man  and  as 
a  Briton,  he  must  certainly  subscribe  to  this  as 
a  happy  state  of  things. 

"Happy  1"  exclaimed  Marion;  "yes,  happy  in- 
deed! and  I  had  rather  fight  for  such  blessings 
for  my  country  and  feed  on  roots,  than  keep  aloof, 
though  wallowing  in  all  the  luxuries  of  Solomon ; 
for  now,  sir,  I  walk  the  soil  that  gave  me  birth, 
and  exult  in  the  thought  that  I  am  not  unworthy 
of  it.  I  look  upon  these  venerable  trees  around 
me,  and  feel  that  I  do  not  dishonor  them.  I  think 
of  my  own  sacred  rights,  and  rejoice  that  I  have 
not  basely  deserted  them,  and  when  I  look  for- 
ward to  the  long  ages  of  posterity,  I  glory  in 
the  thought  that  I  am  fighting  their  battles. 
The  children  of  distant  generations  may  never 
bear  my  name;  but  still  it  gladdens  my  heart  to 
think  that  I  am  now  contending  for  their  free- 
dom and  all  its  countless  blessings." 

Of  this  liberty-loving  ancestry  came  William 
Streeter  and  Catherine  Marion,  and  their  children 
imbibed  a  deep  love  for  the  noble  deeds  of  their 
forebears,  which  was  destined  to  play  an  im- 
portant part  in  their  lives  as  will  be  seen  before 
my  story  is  ended. 

My  father,  William  Streeter,  first  bought  a 
tract  of  land  in  Washtenaw  County,  not  far  from 


16  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

Detroit,  but  lived  there  only  a  few  months.  After 
selling  this  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  which  is  now  entirely  covered  by 
the  southeast  portion  of  the  city  of  Flint,  Mich. ; 
also,  a  larger  tract  of  three  hundred  and  forty 
acres  sixteen  miles  north  of  Flint,  near  the 
present  town  of  Montrose.  Both  were  located  on 
the  Flint  River,  a  beautiful  stream  flowing 
through  a  dense  forest  of  virgin  timber  which 
nature  had  been  hundreds  of  years  in  making. 
He  was  the  seventh  citizen  of  Flint,  where  he 
lived  for  about  two  years;  then  moving  to  the 
larger  tract  of  land. 

At  that  time  this  portion  of  the  Wolverine 
commonwealth  was  a  dense  forest  of  the  wildest 
description,  for  lumberjacks  had  not  yet  pene- 
trated its  fastnesses  with  their  saws,  axes  and 
other  logging  paraphernalia.  Many  years  elapsed 
before  their  advent.  The  air  was  redolent  with 
the  healthful  odor  of  the  balsam  and  the  pine, 
and  everywhere  life  was  free  and  undisturbed. 
No  smoke,  dust,  or  din  of  the  city  palled  upon 
the  eye  or  ear.  It  was  indeed  the  primeval  forest, 
inhabited  alone  by  wild  animals  and  the  red  men, 
of  whom  there  remained  a  numerous  band  in 
their  native  village  of  Peanakewink,  three  miles 
down  the  Flint  River.  These  Indians  were  a 


Ancestry  17 

peaceful  tribe  given  over  to  no  greater  passions 
than  the  hunting  of  wild  animals  and  the  spear- 
ing of  fish,  while  their  squaws  industriously 
raised  the  corn  and  beans,  and  prepared  the 
game  for  the  feast  of  their  lordly  braves  upon 
their  return  from  the  day's  hunt.  To  the  squaws 
fell  the  task  of  dressing  the  skins  of  the  animals, 
and  the  making,  from  the  hides,  of  the  clothing, 
moccasins,  and  sundry  other  useful  and  indis- 
pensable articles.  Since  the  Indians  had  made  a 
treaty  with  the  white  men,  they  did  not  look  upon 
their  coming  with  any  alarm  or  spirit  of  unwel- 
come. In  fact,  the  presence  of  each  under  these 
conditions  was  in  many  ways  a  positive  help  to 
the  other. 

My  father  found  time  not  only  to  clear  and 
till  portions  of  his  lands,  but,  as  becomes  the 
truly  progressive  and  energetic  citizen,  to  seek 
other  fields  of  endeavor  which  might  tend  to  help 
his  fellows  and  improve  and  upbuild  the  com- 
monwealth. He  constructed  the  first  bridge 
across  the  Flint  River,  and  entered  into  a  con- 
tract to  build  a  state  road  from  Flint  to  Saginaw 
about  the  year  1842.  This  contract  he  carried 
out  in  all  its  terms  and  specifications.  At  that 
time  this  was  a  herculean  task,  for  the  route  lay 
through  great  forests,  across  dangerous  and  almost 


18  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

impassable  swamps,  and  large  and  swollen 
streams,  and  he  had  no  machinery  and  no  en- 
gineering equipment  at  hand  to  assist  him  in  the 
task.  There  was  naught  but  the  saw,  the  axe, 
the  shovel,  and  the  ingenuity  and  strength  of 
man  to  accomplish  the  task;  and  they  triumphed. 

Shortly  thereafter,  as  the  traffic  upon  the  Great 
Lakes  increased,  he  found  ample  time  during  the 
winter  season,  when  in  those  days  courts  were 
generally  in  session,  to  develop  into  a  marine 
lawyer  of  ability,  trying  cases  of  importance  in 
all  the  Federal  courts  at  that  time  in  the  State. 

This,  together  with  the  fact  that  there  were  no 
schools  near  his  farm  in  the  wilderness  on  the 
Flint  River,  necessitated  his  living  with  his  family 
in  the  town  of  Flint  during  the  winter.  During 
his  latter  years  he  retired  entirely  to  his  farm, 
where  he  lived  amidst  an  abundance  of  the  good 
things  of  life,  honored  and  respected  by  his  fel- 
low citizens  as  one  who  had  indeed  lived  to 
aid  and  bless  his  kind. 

To  my  father  and  mother  were  born  eleven 
children,  all  living  to  manhood  and  womanhood, 
and  ten  of  them  reaching  fifty  years  of  age.  Their 
names  were  James,  Henry,  Francis,  George  Wel- 
lington, Susan  Ann,  Jay,  Marion,  May  Douglas, 
Ellen,  Laura,  and  Chauncey.  It  was  truly  a 


Ancestry  19 

pioneer  family.  The  children  grew  up  speedily 
and  heartily,  and  soon  aided  their  parents  in  the 
development  of  the  tract  of  land  that  finally  came 
to  be  known  as  the  "home  place."  They  were 
all  good  boys  and  girls  who  were  trained,  as  all 
boys  and  girls  were  in  that  day,  to  become  useful 
and  industrious  citizens  of  the  great  Republic, 
which  was  then  bracing  itself  to  meet  the  fierce 
war  storm  that  was  then  gathering  in  the  South; 
and  it  was  just  such  sons  and  daughters  as  these 
who  were  to  bear  the  burden  and  the  sorrows 
of  the  conflict,  and  right  nobly  they  did  their  part. 


CHAPTER  II 

CHILDHOOD  AND  PIONEER  LIFE 

My  earliest  recollections  are  of  my  grand- 
mother Marion  rocking  and  singing  to  me  as  I 
sat  upon  her  lap.  I  was  about  two  years  of  age, 
and  my  grandfather  and  grandmother  Marion, 
then  very  aged,  were  living  with  our  family.  I 
recall  very  distinctly  the  lines  of  a  straggling 
verse  which  my  grandmother  sang  to  me  many 
times,  and  which  ran  like  this,  if  my  youthful 
memory  is  to  be  trusted: 

"This  wilderness  was  our  abiding  place 

Some  forty  years  ago; 
For  fish  we  used  the  hook  and  line, 

And  with  the  gun  we  shot  the  buck  or  doe ; 
On  Johnny  cake  our  ladies  dined 

Some  forty  years  ago; 
We  pounded  corn  to  make  it  fine 

In  this  new  countrie  some  forty  years  ago." 

This  is  my  very  first  recollection  of  song  and 
poetry,  and  almost  my  first  recollection  of  any- 


Childhood  and  Pioneer  Life  21 

thing.  My  grandmother  did  not  live  many 
months  after  this,  and  I  recall  her  death  very 
vividly.  I  was  sitting  on  her  lap,  with  her  arms 
about  me,  and  she  was  rocking  me  and  singing 
to  me,  when  she  suddenly  let  me  fall  to  the 
floor.  Mother  ran  to  me  and  then  discovered 
that  grandmother  had  passed  away,  presumably 
of  old  age.  All  efforts  to  resuscitate  her  were 
fruitless.  She  was  at  that  time  past  one  hundred 
years  of  age,  while  I  was  about  two  and  one-half 
years  old. 

Another  early  recollection  is  of  the  trip  the 
family  made  in  moving  from  the  farm  to  the 
town  of  Flint  during  the  first  winter  that  we 
spent  there  after  moving  to  the  farm  for  the 
earlier  part  of  the  year.  I  remember  that  I  sat 
with  my  mother  on  a  wagon  load  of  household 
goods  and  that  my  uncle  led  the  yoke  of  oxen 
which  drew  the  load.  Mother  held  my  baby 
sister  in  her  arms,  and  when  we  came  to  a  piece 
of  corduroy  road  which  ran  through  a  swamp, 
the  wagon  jolted  me  so  that  I  cried,  and  my 
uncle  had  to  lift  me  down.  Then  I  walked  along 
on  the  ends  of  the  logs,  of  which  the  corduroy 
was  built,  much  after  the  fashion  of  ties  on  a 
railroad  track,  but  much  closer  together.  It 
grew  quite  dark  before  I  got  to  the  end  of  this 


22  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

log  road,  and  I  got  very  sleepy  before  we  reached 
Flint  at  about  nine  o'clock  at  night. 

An  incident  which  was  impressed  very  firmly 
upon  my  childish  mind  occurred  shortly  after 
this,  while  we  were  living  in  Flint,  which,  at 
that  time,  was  a  mere  hamlet.  The  Indian  vil- 
lage of  Pe-an-e-ka-wink  was  situated  a  few  miles 
down  the  Flint  River  and  contained  more  than 
three  hundred  inhabitants.  These  Indians  were 
accustomed  to  pass  through  Flint  on  their  way 
to  Detroit,  when  they  went,  according  to  treaty, 
to  draw  their  regular  rations  and  supplies  from 
the  Government. 

At  that  time,  I  was  less  than  three  years  of 
age.  There  was  then  only  one  little  store  and 
tavern  combined  in  Flint,  and  this  was  kept  by 
a  man  named  Decker,  who  was  in  fact  the  first 
white  settler  in  Flint,  and  consequently  its 
founder.  We  lived  just  across  the  road  from 
his  hostelry,  and  the  Indians  always  stopped 
there  while  going  to  and  fro.  In  fact,  they  ob- 
tained a  little  "fire  water"  there  to  keep  up  their 
spirits  on  the  long  trip  to  Detroit,  which  at  that 
time  could  be  reached  only  by  following  a  trail 
through  the  woods. 

On  this  particular  occasion  the  squaws  ranged 
their  little  pappooses  alongside  the  tavern  and 


Childhood  and  Pioneer  Life  "23 

went  within  to  share  the  hospitality  of  friend 
Decker  along  with  their  husbands.  Now,  friend 
Decker  had  among  his  possessions  a  large  white 
porker  of  the  feminine  gender,  which  was  never 
kept  within  a  pen  or  other  inclosure,  but  ran 
about  the  premises  and  out  into  the  timber  at 
her  own  sweet  will.  On  this  day  she  happened 
along  shortly  after  the  squaws  had  ranged  their 
Indian  babies  in  their  birch-bark  pockets  beside 
the  tavern  wall,  so  she  at  once  attacked  and  killed 
the  smallest  baby  she  spied,  who,  of  course,  was 
perfectly  helpless,  and  made  little  outcry.  I 
viewed  the  tragic  scene  from  across  the  road, 
and  being  too  small  to  interfere,  I  ran  into  the 
house  and  reported  the  situation  to  my  mother, 
who  came  too  late  to  save  the  baby's  life,  but 
early  enough  to  prevent  the  entire  disappearance 
of  the  body  of  the  infant. 

Of  course,  the  Indians  within  were  duly  ad- 
vised of  the  tragic  death  of  one  of  their  number, 
and  the  poor  mother  and  the  entire  band  set  up 
a  loud  wailing  and  weeping  which  very  much 
disconcerted  friend  Decker,  who  was  much  puz- 
zled as  to  how  he  might  make  the  matter  right 
with  his  Indian  friends  and  customers.  He  finally 
proposed  that  they  should  have  the  body  of  the 
porker  if  they  could  catch  her.  This  proposition 


Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

s  immediately  accepted  by  the  Indians,  and 
:  squaws  ran  the  sow  down  in  the  dense 
ods,  killed  her  as  soon  as  caught,  and  then 
:  her  up  into  small  pieces  which  were  duly 
tributed  among  the  band.  Then  they  pro- 
:ded  on  their  way  to  Detroit  as  though  all  were 
>roughly  satisfied. 

[n  those  days  very  few  of  the  Indians  possessed 
us,  and  an  old  flintlock  gun  would  buy  a  choice 
;hty-acre  tract  of  land  from  any  Indian.  Guns 
re  very  valuable  and  useful  articles  just  at 
it  time.  Wild  animals  of  every  description 
re  on  every  hand,  and  no  household  could 
ord  to  be  without  one  gun  at  least.  Bear,  deer, 
:,  moose,  wolves,  wild  cats,  lynx,  panther,  rac- 
m,  and  many  other  smaller  animals  abounded 
:rywhere.  I  have  seen  great  numbers  of  deer, 
:,  and  moose  trotting  through  the  woods  and 
ding  the  river  on  many  occasions.  Often  I 
v  the  Indians  with  nothing  but  bow  and  arrows 
I  dogs  kill  a  deer  or  elk  along  their  runways 
the  deep  forests.  As  a  boy  I  often  hunted  with 
:  young  squaws  and  Indian  boys. 
Bears  were  very  troublesome  when  I  was  a 
all  boy,  and  we  could  sometimes  at  night  hear 
;m  turning  over  the  swill  barrel;  but  they 
uld  skip  away  before  we  could  get  out  of 


Childhood  and  Pioneer  Life  2!. 

the  house  and  after  them.  Often  they  woulc 
steal  a  hog  or  a  sheep,  so  that  we  always  shu 
these  animals  up  at  night  in  pens  near  the  barns 
But  even  that  did  not  always  save  them,  for  i 
bear  would  sometimes  kill  one  and  carry  it  oui 
of  the  pen.  On  one  occasion  I  remember  thai 
we  heard  a  pig  squealing  during  the  night 
Father  grabbed  the  gun  and  ran  for  the  pen 
and  we  after  him.  So  busily  engaged  was  Mr 
Bear  that  he  did  not  hear  us  approach,  and 
father  was  able  to  put  the  muzzle  of  the  gur 
almost  against  the  head  of  the  animal  before  he 
fired.  The  bear,  a  big  black  fellow,  dropped 
over  dead,  and  piggie  was  saved,  all  by  his 
ability  to  squeal  at  the  right  time. 

Bears  dearly  loved  honey,  and  would  take 
almost  any  sort  of  risk  to  rob  a  bee  hive.  During 
such  a  proceeding  the  bees  never  seemed  able  tc 
make  any  sort  of  an  impression  on  the  bears 
We  caught  many  a  bear  robbing  our  hives  on 
bright  moonlight  nights,  and  while  greedily  de- 
vouring the  honey  they  would  utter  a  sound  which 
very  much  resembled  "urn,  um,  urn." 

I  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age  when  I  killed 
my  first  bear,  and  felt  that  I  had  won  my  first 
real  spurs.  There  was  a  big  spring  in  the  woods 
near  the  river,  over  which  a  big  plum  thicket 


26  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

hovered,  and  a  trail  led  from  a  field  down  to  this 
spring. 

I  was  coming  down  this  trail  approaching  the 
spring  and,  looking  over  a  big  log,  I  saw  a 
bear,  which  stood  up  on  its  hind  legs  to  get  a 
better  view  of  me.  I  pulled  the  trigger  just  as 
his  head  came  up  over  the  log,  and  then  took  to 
my  heels.  I  ran  all  the  way  home  and  hailed 
my  brother  Henry  with  the  shout,  "I  have  killed 
a  bear!"  but  I  did  not  know,  in  fact,  whether  I 
had  or  not.  We  then  loaded  up  the  gun  and 
hurried  back  to  the  vicinity  of  the  log,  where 
we  found  that  I  had  indeed  killed  a  bear.  I  My 
bosom  swelled  with  pride  at  the  thought  of 
what  I  had  done,  and  I  considered  myself  a 
budding  Nimrod  or  Daniel  Boone.  At  that 
time,  of  course,  I  had  no  apologies  to  make  to 
Colonel  Roosevelt,  who  came  on  the  scene  of 
action  much  later. 

Wolves  were  so  numerous  in  those  days  that 
pigs  and  lambs  disappeared  with  great  regularity. 
About  the  only  protection  from  these  depreda- 
tions was  to  get  the  little  ones  inside  the  barn, 
for  the  wolves  are  night  marauders  in  a  new 
country,  and  very  bold  and  impudent.  We  often 
caught  them  in  traps  and  pitfalls,  and  finally 
when  the  state  paid  a  bounty  for  the  pelts,  we  were 


Childhood  and  Pioneer  Life  27 

aided  greatly  in  thinning  their  ranks  in  the  more 
populous  districts. 

I  remember  one  occasion,  when  all  of  the  wild 
animals  were  virtually  forced  out  of  the  woods 
by  a  big  forest  fire  which  swept  the  country  for 
miles  around  and  destroyed  the  tamarack  swamps, 
which  at  that  time  were  very  dry.  These  swamps 
were  devastated  of  timber  which  had  been  so 
thick  that  one  would  get  lost  in  it,  although  they 
were  usually  only  about  a  mile  in  width  and  a 
couple  of  miles  in  length.  The  fire  burned  down 
into  the  earth  to  a  depth  of  from  ten  to  fifteen 
feet;  in  fact,  the  fire  continued  burning  in  the 
boggy  ground  for  a  period  of  two  months.  This 
left  great  depressions  in  the  earth,  which  later 
became  filled  with  surface  water  and  formed 
lakes  These  lakes  are  in  existence  today,  and 
some  of  them  are  utilized  for  pleasure  resorts. 

Fortunately  the  fire  did  not  burn  out  the  big 
forests,  but  it  filled  them  with  smoke,  and  the 
animals  who  lived  there  were  compelled  to  flee 
to  escape  suffocation.  They  fled  to  the  streams, 
and  would  stand  for  hours  on  the  shallow  rapids. 
Sometimes  they  got  on  islands  in  the  river.  Deer, 
elk,  moose,  bear,  lynx,  panthers,  wolves,  and  many 
other  animals  were  to  be  seen  along  the  river 
in  great  numbers,  and  they  became  unusually 


28  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

tame,  quite  often  hovering  near  our  home,  which 
they  would  frequent  at  night,  seeking  whatever 
they  could  find.  I  noticed  also  that  multitudes  of 
big  fish,  pickerel  and  muskallonge,  some  of  them 
three  or  four  feet  long,  were  affected  by  the 
smoke  and  would  float  over  the  rapids  lying  on 
their  backs,  where  we  could  wade  in  and  catch 
as  many  as  we  liked.  Bears  and  wolves  also 
went  into  the  fishing  business,  and  with  good 
success,  since  the  fish  were  extremely  sluggish  and 
inert.  If  one  got  away  from  you  the  first  time 
you  tackled  him,  you  could  follow  him  and  grab 
him  when  he  came  to  the  surface  wrong  side  up 
the  next  time. 

Grass  and  browse  of  every  description  were 
burned  out  of  the  woods,  and  the  elk,  deer,  and 
moose  were  obliged  to  stay  along  the  streams  and 
lakes,  where  a  fringe  of  vegetation  yet  remained. 
These  were  happy  hunting  days  for  the  red  men, 
who  were  not  a  bit  slow  to  take  due  advantage 
of  the  situation,  which  illustrates  again  the  truth 
of  the  old  saying  that  "its  an  ill  wind  that  blows 
nobody  good." 

Pheasants,  wild  turkeys,  ducks,  wild  geese,  and 
wild  pigeons  were  very  numerous  in  my  boy- 
hood days,  the  two  former  in  the  woods  and 
the  three  latter  along  the  streams  and  lakes. 


Childhood  and  Pioneer  Life  29 

Hunting  pheasants  and  wild  turkeys  was  a  very 
agreeable  and  sometimes  an  exciting  pastime. 
The  turkeys  could  often  be  captured  in  big  flocks 
if  their  roosting  places  were  discovered.  When 
we  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  one  of  these 
roosts  we  prepared  to  make  a  night  raid  upon  it. 
In  the  light  of  a  torch,  the  turkeys  could  see 
nothing,  and  were  perfectly  helpless.  We  could 
knock  them  over  with  clubs  and  poles,  and  if  some 
of  them  flew  off  the  roosts  they  were  sure  to 
fly  against  trees  and  come  to  grief.  We  could 
then  pounce  upon  them,  and  only  a  few  of  the 
flock  ever  got  away. 

Wild  pigeons,  like  ducks  and  geese,  came  by 
the  millions  and  infested  the  rivers  and  lake 
regions.  They  would  build  their  nests  in  the 
swamps,  and  I  have  seen  as  many  as  fifty  nests 
in  one  bunch.  In  the  fall  they  would  congregate 
together  in  vast  numbers,  millions  of  them  form- 
ing one  great  flock  miles  in  length,  and  then 
at  night  they  would  settle  down  to  a  chosen  roost- 
ing place,  where  they  could  be  killed  by  the 
wagon  load  if  you  wished  to  do  so,  in  the  same 
manner  that  we  got  the  wild  turkeys.  I  have 
also  killed  them  in  the  evening  when  they  were 
flying  low  over  the  brow  of  a  hill  or  over  a  lake. 
I  remember  on  one  occasion,  at  Bald  Eagle  Lake, 


30  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

that  I  got  to  the  shore  just  as  myriads  of  them 
came  streaming  over  the  brow  of  a  hill.  I 
knocked  down  all  that  we  needed  for  a  big  feast 
with  a  small  tamarack  fishing  pole.  In  a  boat 
or  canoe  you  could  push  along  the  rivers  and 
lakes  amidst  the  wild  rice  and  reeds,  and  kill  all 
the  wild  duck  and  geese  that  you  wished  to  carry 
home  with  you. 

In  those  days  we  could  kill  deer,  elk  or  moose 
whenever  we  chose  without  molestation.  No 
game  wardens  disturbed  our  operations.  Venison 
in  some  form  was  a  regular  dish  on  the  home 
menu  card.  Venison  pot  pie,  steaks,  roasts,  mince 
meat,  dried  venison,  venison  with  succotash — 
say,  they  had  the  packing-house  products  thrown 
into  the  discard.  It  makes  an  old  man's  mouth 
water  just  to  ruminate  over  the  good  grub  that 
mother  used  to  serve  out  of  the  wild  game  that 
was  as  common  then  as  flowers  in  May.  Those 
were  indeed  happy  days  for  hunting! 


CHAPTER  III 

PIONEER  CO-OPERATION 

There  were  other  employments  in  which  profit 
and  pleasure  were  combined,  and  in  which  the 
labor  detracted  little  from  the  pleasure,  at  least 
as  I  see  it  now  after  the  lapse  of  many  years. 

One  which  comes  vividly  to  mind  is  the  "sugar- 
making"  days  of  springtime.  How  many  of  the 
youngsters  of  today  know  anything  about  the 
process  by  which  maple  sugar  and  syrup  were 
made  in  the  very  heart  of  the  forest,  or  dream  of 
the  wholesome  fun  we  extracted  along  with  the 
syrup?  For  their  benefit  I  will  endeavor  to  give 
at  least  an  outline  of  the  modus  operandi  in  this 
almost  lost  art.  To  be  sure  there  are  a  few 
camps  yet  remaining,  but  most  of  them  are  not 
the  genuine  article.  They  adulterate  the  output 
and  spoil  the  whole  performance. 

Our  place  of  operation  was  called  a  "sugar 
camp,"  and  we  certainly  lived  up  to  the  name. 
We  were,  in  fact,  obliged  to  camp  right  on  the 
ground  from  the  moment  operations  began  until 
the  close  of  the  season. 


32  Captain   Streeter,  Pioneer 

During  the  winter  we  were  usually  engaged 
for  a  good  portion  of  the  time  in  preparing  for 
the  business,  or  "run,"  in  the  spring.  We  cut  an 
abundant  supply  of  wood  to  be  used  in  boiling 
down  the  sap;  for  maple  sugar  and  maple  syrup 
are  made  from  the  sap  extracted  from  the  sugar 
maple  by  a  process  called  "tapping  the  tree." 
This  consisted  simply  of  boring  a  small  hole  in 
the  tree  a  few  feet  above  the  ground,  and  insert- 
ing a  "spile"  or  little  spigot,  which  carried  off 
the  sap  and  allowed  it  to  drip  into  a  trough  set 
on  the  ground  directly  under  this  spile.  I  am  not 
speaking  now  of  the  new-fangled  sugar  camp, 
nor  or  the  apparatus  now  in  vogue.  I  am  talking 
of  the  real  old-fashioned  sugar  camp  of  my  boy- 
hood days,  and  of  the  methods  which  then  pre- 
vailed. 

When  we  first  opened  our  camp  we  selected 
a  site  that  was  thickly  set  with  sugar  trees  as 
a  matter  of  course,  for  a  good  part  of  the  work 
lay  in  hauling  the  sap  to  the  kettles,  where  it 
was.  boiled  down.  Then  we  cut  enough  three- 
foot  lengths  of  nice  clear  pine  trees  about  a  foot 
in  diameter.  We  split  these  as  near  the  middle 
as  possible,  and  then  scooped  out  the  inside,  so 
that  we  had  little  troughs  out  of  each  cut, 
which  would  hold,  as  a  rule,  a  pail  and  a  half 


Chicago  Harbor  as  Streeter  Found  It  in  1861 


Pioneer  Co-operation  33 

of  sap.  This  we  emptied  into  barrels  and  hauled 
on  a  sled  to  two  great  storage  troughs.  These 
were  made  by  cutting  two  giant  pines,  from  four 
to  five  feet  in  diameter,  and  from  thirty  to  forty 
feet  in  length,  hollowing  them  out  with  an  axe 
and  adze  until  they  formed  great  troughs  or 
tanks  holding  many  barrels  of  sap.  These  were 
kept  filled,  their  supply  running  into  the  kettles 
where  the  boiling  down  process  was  going  on. 

This  latter  process  was  accomplished  by  build- 
ing up  a  sort  of  furnace  of  brick  or  clay  on  which 
the  kettles  were  set  on  holes  made  for  them. 
There  was  also  a  "stirring-off"  pan  at  one  end, 
where  the  syrup  was  run  off  and  boiled  until 
nearly  ready  to  sugar.  It  was  then  transferred 
to  the  proper  kettle  for  that  purpose.  At  one 
end  of  this  furnace  the  wood  was  thrown  in  and 
the  fire  kept  going;  at  the  other  end  was  a 
chimney  which  furnished  the  necessary  draft  and 
an  exit  for  the  smoke.  All  this  was  in  the  open 
air  without  a  covering  of  any  kind  or  character. 

This  was  the  old-time  maple  sugar  and  maple 
syrup  apparatus.  In  the  later  days  they  built 
commodious  houses  over  them  for  shelter,  con- 
venience, and  cleanliness.  In  my  day,  however, 
the  only  shelter  we  had  was  built  along  one  side 
of  this  boiling-down  paraphernalia.  The  con- 


34  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

trivance  was  made  by  driving  into  the  ground  the 
necessary  distance  apart  two  wooden  forks  hav- 
ing a  height  of  about  six  or  seven  feet,  so 
placed  that  a  pole  laid  across  them  would  be 
parallel  with  the  furnace.  Against  the  farther 
side  of  this  pole  we  stood  up  boards  at  an  angle 
of  about  forty-five  degrees,  so  that  the  lower  end 
would  be  on  the  ground  while  the  upper  end 
rested  against  the  pole.  This  left  the  front 
toward  the  furnace  open.  The  heat  kept  this 
one-sided  shelter  warm  at  night,  and  everything 
under  it  dry.  On  the  ground  beneath  it  we 
spread  a  good  thickness  of  straw,  and  over  this 
buffalo  robes,  bear  and  deer  skins,  and  thus  made 
a  very  comfortable  bed. 

Do  not  get  the  idea  into  your  head  that 
when  bed-time  came  around  we  all  lay  down  and 
snoozed  until  morning.  This  is  far  from  the 
truth.  Few  of  us  got  even  a  nap  before  eleven 
o'clock,  and  then  we  took  turns  looking  after 
things  and  sleeping.  Bear  in  mind  that  the 
fires  had  to  be  kept  going  every  minute,  and 
the  sap  kept  boiling  down  and  skimmed  of  dirty- 
looking  foam  right  along,  and  prevented  from 
running  over.  Sap  had  always  to  be  gathered 
and  hauled  in,  so  there  would  be  no  diminution 
of  the  supply,  if  the  establishment  was  to  be  run 


Pioneer  Co-operation  35 

at  full  capacity.  And  this  continuous  perform- 
ance usually  lasted  about  four  weeks,  beginning, 
as  a  rule,  around  the  first  of  February. 

After  the  syrup  became  properly  thickened,  all 
that  was  necessary  to  make  it  turn  into  sugar 
was  to  keep  stirring  it,  and  crystallization  once 
started,  did  the  rest.  It  was  then  turned  into 
molds  shaped  like  small  cakes,  hence  the  name 
"sugar  cakes."  To  make  syrup  so  much  boiling 
down  was  unnecessary,  and  no  stirring  was  needed 
after  a  certain  stage  in  the  boiling-down  process. 

The  much-talked  about  "stirring-off"  days 
were  those  days  when  a  quantity  of  the  boiled 
down  sap  or  syrup  had  reached  the  proper  state 
for  crystallization,  or  "stirring  off"  or  "sugaring 
off,"  as  some  called  it.  These  were  the  days  or 
nights,  as  the  case  might  be,  of  real  fun.  Friends 
were  nearly  always  invited  in.  Men,  women,  and 
children,  and  even  the  dogs,  came  from  far  and 
near,  and  good  wholesome  fun  and  wit  abounded 
in  the  light  of  the  camp-fire  until  a  late  hour. 
A  goodly  bit  of  the  syrup  was  made  into  taffy 
and  "pulled"  until  it  had  the  supposedly  right 
degree  of  whiteness.  It  was  then  distributed  to 
all  persons  present.  Even  the  dogs  were  not 
forgotten;  but  they  never  seemed  to  relish  the 
product  quite  as  well  as  the  boys  and  girls.  The 


36  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

candy  stuck  in  their  teeth,  and  they  would  roll 
over  on  the  ground,  and  in  the  bushes,  and  try 
to  dig  it  out  with  their  paws,  sometimes  whining 
and  howling  for  help. 

The  fresh  "sugar  cakes"  were  always  a  great 
treat,  and  really  it  was  astounding  the  amount 
of  sweetness  the  average  boy  or  girl  could  get 
away  with  on  such  an  occasion. 

The  "wax"  was  also  appreciated.  This  was 
nothing  more  than  the  syrup  boiled  down  to  a 
waxy  consistency,  and  eaten  without  being 
"pulled,"  as  was  the  case  when  "taffy"  was  the 
desired  product. 

The  clarifying  agent  used  in  producing  sugar 
and  syrup  was  a  liberal  amount  of  "slippery 
elm"  bark,  the  sticky  inside  of  the  bark  being 
placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  stirring-off  kettle. 
To  this  all  the  sediment  adhered,  and  left  the 
sugar  and  syrup  beautifully  clear  and  clean. 

I  venture  to  assert  there  was  no  experience  of 
pioneer  life  that  was  productive  of  more  fun 
and  unadulterated  pleasure  than  the  good  old 
days  of  "sugar  making."  The  beautiful  woods 
and  firelight  cast  a  certain  amount  of  glamor 
over  the  entire  transaction;  and  nothing  was  more 
palatable  than  the  product  when  spread  over  the 
steaming  buckwheat  cakes  our  mothers  used  to 


Pioneer  Co-operation  37 

serve  on  frosty  mornings.  Why,  this  whole  tale 
of  those  olden  golden  days  simply  makes  an  old 
man's  mouth  water  with  an  appetite  that  no 
modern  bill  of  fare  can  ever  appease.  Even 
gold  hunting,  fascinating  though  it  may  be,  is 
not  to  be  compared  with  sugar  making. 

Then,  those  were  grand  opportunities  for 
"sweethearting"  among  the  older  boys  and  girls. 
Yes,  I  speak  from  experience.  Many  a  happy 
love  match  was  sealed  on  the  road  to  and  from 
the  trail  to  an  old  time  "sugar  camp."  Under 
the  spreading  boughs  of  the  giants  of  the  forest 
the  avowal  and  betrothal  of  many  a  sweet 
young  couple  took  place.  Cupid  was  just  as 
active  in  those  days,  and  far  more  accurate  in 
his  archery  than  he  is  in  these  latter  days.  He 
more  often  meant  business,  and  was  not  so  much 
inclined  to  playfulness  and  foolishness  without 
genuine  purpose  as  he  is  today.  He  rarely  missed 
the  mark  in  those  days.  Wealth,  reputation, 
and  social  prestige  did  not  bother  his  aim  or 
dim  his  sight  as  they  do  now.  In  fact  these 
considerations  did  not  enter  into  the  transac- 
tion; and  divorces  were  almost  an  unknown 
occurrence.  Reno  was  not  on  the  map,  and 
friendly  courts  and  legislatures  had  not  yet 
turned  their  activities  to  these  fields  of  human 


38  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

experience.  They  had  no  occasion  to  do  so. 
What  a  pity  they  ever  conceived  the  idea  that 
such  a  necessity  existed. 

There  was  another  experience  which  was 
highly  interesting  and  decidedly  profitable  to 
the  pioneer  farmer  and  his  youthful  sons,  and 
to  which  the  youth  of  today  is  a  total  stranger. 
This  was  the  "log  rolling"  of  the  "settler,"  not 
that  of  the  politician,  of  whose  tricks  and  doubt- 
ful practices  we  hear  too  much  in  these  days. 
He  was  an  unknown  character  in  the  early  days ; 
and  since  we  had  never  made  his  acquaintance, 
we  did  not  note  his  absence.  In  the  light  of 
recent  revelations,  and  the  great  revolution  of 
popular  thought  and  sentiment  on  the  subject,  it 
would  seem  that  his  days  of  active  operation 
were  about  finished,  and  that  the  will  of  the 
people,  whatever  it  may  be  at  any  particular 
time,  shall  now  be  supreme,  rather  than  that  of 
the  money-bag  contingent  whose  paid  mouth- 
piece and  manipulator  he  is  always  found  to  be 
when  you  trail  him  to  his  lair. 

The  settler,  after  having  first  cut  down  his 
timber  and  the  brush  standing  on  the  tract  which 
he  wished  to  cultivate  (a  task  which  was  indeed 
fraught  with  months  of  arduous  labor  on  his 
part  and  that  of  his  sons)  usually  found  the 


Pioneer  Co-operation  39 

greater  portion  of  the  land  covered  with  giant 
logs  and  piles  of  brush,  the  latter  accumulated 
not  only  from  the  underbrush  but  from  the 
trimmings  of  tree  tops  and  millions  of  twigs 
and  branches.  And  when  we  remember  that 
this  was  the  forest  primeval,  which  had  been 
hundreds  of  years  in  the  making,  we  can  in  a 
measure  imagine  the  picture  which  such  a  scene 
would  present. 

The  problem  that  faced  the  settler  was  how 
to  dispose  quickly  of  these  accumulations  of  brush 
and  logs.  There  was  no  adjacent  market  for  the 
magnificent  timber,  no  roads  or  railroads  to 
transport  it  to  a  market  far  away,  and  no 
mills  to  convert  it  into  lumber  or  any  useful 
or  valuable  product.  Consequently  the  only  dis- 
position that  could  be  made  of  it  was  to  destroy 
it,  and  the  quickest  way  in  which  this  could  be 
done  was  the  one  to  be  preferred.  Experience 
had  proved  that  the  only  agency  to  bring  about 
the  desired  result  in  the  shortest  possible  time 
was  fire,  and  that  the  only  safe  and  sure  way  to 
apply  it  was  to  roll  the  logs  together  in  enormous 
piles  and  heaps,  and  then  apply  the  torch.  In 
this  toilsome  way  the  homesteads  of  the  pioneers 
were  carved  out  of  the  forests. 

But  this  was  a  task  too  great  for  the  efforts 


40  Captain  Streetert  Pioneer 

of  one  family;  so  the  neighborhood  was  always 
invited  to  assist  in  the  work,  and  right  loyally 
they  ever  responded  to  the  call.  Every  family 
for  miles  around,  men,  women  and  children,  on 
the  appointed  day  repaired  to  the  cabin  of  the 
settler  who  had  invited  them;  and  they  did  not 
come  empty-handed  to  the  task.  They  brought 
their  horses  and  oxen,  together  with  the  neces- 
sary implements  to  perform  the  task,  the  axe, 
crowbar,  hand-spike,  wedge,  maul,  ropes,  and 
chains;  and  bright  and  early  in  the  day  the 
"clearing"  teemed  as  never  before  in  its  history 
with  bustle  and  activity,  and  with  the  shouts  and 
commands  of  these  officers  of  the  army  of  con- 
quering civilization.  With  might  and  main  they 
rolled  the  logs  together  and  piled  them  in  giant 
heaps,  where  they  lay  until  the  sun  and  weather 
had  somewhat  reduced  the  sap  in  them,  and  made 
them  easier  to  burn.  Then,  at  his  convenience, 
and  at  the  most  opportune  time,  the  settler  and 
his  sons  applied  the  torch  and  watched  the  great 
log  piles  melt  away. 

And  while  the  men  and  boys  were  thus  busily 
engaged  in  the  "clearing,"  the  women  and  girls 
were  equally  busy  preparing  to  appease  the  ap- 
petites of  the  hungry  workers,  and  they  never 
failed  in  their  task;  for  the  table  fairly  groaned 


Pioneer  Co-operation  41 

with  good  things  to  eat.  On  it  were  to  be  found 
venison  roast,  venison  and  succotask,  baked  pork 
and  beans,  roast  lamb,  baked  fish,  roast  duck, 
roast  partridge,  apple  butter,  wild  honey,  plum 
butter,  potatoes  in  every  conceivable  palatable 
shape,  tomatoes,  fresh  cheese,  corn  bread,  venison 
mince,  pumpkin,  squash,  wild  grape,  elderberry, 
raspberry,  blackberry,  cranberry,  and  blueberry 
pies;  jellies,  jams,  and  preserves  made  from  wild 
fruits;  ginger  snaps,  cakes,  and  a  host  of  other 
delicacies  and  viands,  that  only  the  mind  of  a 
loving  and  experimental  pioneer  mother  could 
think  of,  to  tickle  the  palate  of  the  pioneer  man. 
On  such  occasions  as  these,  native  wit,  humor 
and  badinage  had  full  play,  and  song  and  speech 
were  not  infrequently  mixed  with  the  feast  of 
the  pioneer  board. 

But  this  was  not  the  only  task  where  the  spirit 
of  brotherly  love  and  neighborly  kindness  of  the 
pioneer  settlement  was  made  manifest,  and  where 
the  spirit  of  each-help-the-neighbor  solved  the 
big  problems  of  the  community.  In  this  day  we 
talk  and  think  much  of  the  co-operative  spirit, 
but  those  were  the  days  when  this  spirit  really 
lived,  where  it  blossomed  and  came  to  fruition 
in  the  growing  commonwealths  of  the  West. 
Never  in  the  history  of  this  nation  has  there 


42  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

been  such  universal  co-operation  and  helpfulness 
among  the  entire  population  as  in  these  days  of 
our  pioneer  fathers  and  mothers;  and  I  think 
I  may  truthfully  say  that  at  no  period  of  our 
national  life  has  there  been  such  genuinely  happy 
home  life,  such  real  contentment  and  domestic 
peace,  nor  such  a  genuine  spirit  of  unselfish- 
ness, such  a  desire  to  see  every  neighbor  prosper. 
Ah,  those  were  the  days  when  men  were  not 
greedy,  when  men  were  not  envious  of  aught 
that  a  neighbor  possessed;  when  true  democratic 
simplicity  ruled  supreme  in  the  land!  In  these 
respects  we  have  never  improved  our  national 
character,  however  much  we  may  boast  of  our 
material  development  and  achievements. 

Another  occasion  where  this  spirit  was  called 
into  action  which  I  must  not  suffer  to  be  for- 
gotten was  the  "husking  bee."  The  settler  in 
those  days  always  cut  the  corn,  stock  and  all, 
near  the  ground,  and  hauled  it  into  the  barn, 
utilizing  all  of  the  "fodder"  for  the  feeding  of 
his  live  stock.  The  corn  with  the  ears  attached  was 
piled  high  on  the  barn  floor  awaiting  the  hour  of 
husking.  The  production  of  corn  at  that  time  had 
not  reached  an  extended  stage,  and  the  supply  was 
in  fact  somewhat  limited,  when  we  compare  it 
with  modern  corn  raising  methods  and  areas. 


Pioneer  Co-operation  43 

On  an  appointed  evening  the  invited  neigh- 
bors would  appear,  men  women  and  children, 
ready  and  willing  to  assist  the  neighbor  who 
had  invited  them  to  husk  his  corn.  Pine-knot 
torches  safely  arranged  illuminated  the  typical 
log  structure  with  its  "puncheon"  floor.  Usually 
two  champion  corn  huskers  of  the  community 
would  divide  the  crowd  into  two  competitive 
camps;  and  please  bear  in  mind  that  this  was  a 
task  in  which  all  present  engaged,  men  and 
women,  boys  and  girls.  All  of  them  knew  how 
to  operate  a  "shucking  peg"  so  as  to  bring  forth 
from  its  yellow  envelope  the  mature  ear  of  corn, 
and  to  detach  it  quickly  from  the  stock. 

The  champions  having  duly  chosen  their  re- 
spective helpers,  a  match  was  on  to  see  which 
side  could  husk  the  most  corn,  or  finish  first  the 
task  imposed  upon  it.  Quickly  and  energetically 
the  work  progressed,  interspersed  with  good- 
humored  banter  and  boast,  joke  and  racy  story, 
until  one  side  triumphed  over  the  other,  and 
the  task  was  done. 

But  while  the  work  proceeded  there  were 
many  customs  and  jolly  practices  that  could  not 
be  overlooked  by  the  participants.  I  shall  not 
be  able  to  recount  all  of  them;  but  one  of  them, 
which  was  productive  of  the  liveliest  interest 


44  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

and  the  most  sport,  was  a  custom  which  per- 
mitted the  first  boy  who  found  a  red  ear  of  corn 
to  kiss  the  girl  who  to  his  youthful  fancy  seemed 
most  blessed  with  beauteous  looks,  or,  to  use  the 
language  of  the  occasion,  the  "prettiest  girl" 
present.  And  he  always  had  the  courage  of  his 
convictions.  He  never  shirked  the  duty  which 
the  custom  imposed.  Many  a  budding  romance 
was  thereby  revealed  to  the  eyes  of  the  com- 
munity; and  doubtless  such  occasions  frequently 
afforded  the  youthful  admirer  his  first  "sweet- 
heart kiss,"  for,  be  it  said  to  their  eternal  credit, 
the  young  ladies  of  that  day  were  rather  stingy 
with  such  favors,  and  the  "sweethearting"  en- 
deavors had  progressed  to  the  really  serious  stage 
on  both  sides  before  Miss  Propriety  could  be 
persuaded  even  to  think  of  granting  the  blissful 
favor.  And  I  may  truthfully  say  that  hearts 
were  just  as  tender  and  true  in  those  good  old 
days,  in  the  midst  of  such  crude  surroundings, 
as  at  any  period  in  the  existence  of  the  race — 
not  excepting  even  the  gallant  days  of  "Douglas 
tender  and  true." 

But  the  evening's  program  was  far  from  ended. 
"Work  before  pleasure"  was  their  motto,  but 
the  fun  was  never  overlooked.  After  the  corn 
was  husked  and  the  champion  crowned,  re- 


Pioneer  Co-operation  45 

freshments  in  the  shape  of  ginger  snaps,  pump- 
kin, mince,  and  other  pies,  sweet  cider  and  apple- 
jack, satisfied  the  growing  desire  for  food  and 
drink.  In  the  meantime  the  barn  floor  was 
cleared  of  the  corn  fodder;  then  some  rural  artist 
who  could  charm  the  pioneer  ear  with  the  music 
of  his  fiddle  strings  would  begin  to  "tune  up" 
the  beloved  product  of  some  American  Stradi- 
varius,  and  soon  to  the  inspiring  strains  of 
"Money  Musk,"  "Fisher's  Hornpipe,"  "Old  Dan 
Tucker,"  or  some  other  early  favorite,  the  joy- 
ous and  nimble  feet  of  youth  were  flying  o'er 
the  puncheon  floor. 

Late  into  the  night  the  festive  throng  enjoyed 
the  simple  pleasure,  but  never  too  late,  for 
fathers  and  mothers  opened  and  closed  the  entire 
program  and  assumed  the  entire  responsibility  for 
the  entertainment,  which  was  never  permitted  to 
reach  the  excessive  stage. 

But  the  "husking  bee"  was  not  the  only  "bee" 
in  the  settler's  beehive;  he  had  many  others,  and 
all  of  them  good  ones,  too.  But  all  of  them  did 
not  belong  strictly  to  the  male  contingent  of  the 
community;  some  of  them  belonged  to  the  ladies. 
Of  this  latter  class  let  us  not  forget  the  "quilt- 
ing bee,"  when  the  ladies  of  the  entire  com- 
munity would  congregate  by  invitation  at  some 


46  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

household  and,  during  the  course  of  the  day, 
help  some  good  mother  or  young  housewife  to 
finish  several  quilts  before  the  long  winter  set 
in.  These  quilts  were  really  works  of  art  too, 
not  crazy  patchwork  as  some  high-bred  ladies 
of  today  may  imagine.  The  most  beautiful  pat- 
terns were  executed  by  the  needle  in  the  hands 
of  mothers  and  sweethearts,  and  formed  into 
articles  of  beauty  and  harmony.  My  recollec- 
tion is  not  very  good  on  these  patterns,  and  never 
was  very  extensive,  but  I  can  remember  the 
"Log  Cabin,"  the  "Sea  Wave,"  the  "Irish  Chain," 
the  "Star,"  the  "Rising  Sun,"  the  "Four  Patch," 
and  the  "Nine  Patch,"  and  there  were  many 
others  which  my  mind  has  lost  trace  of  entirely; 
but  this  is  certainly  a  representative  and  typical 
list  of  them. 

The  quilt  was  a  very  much  prized  gift  from 
mother  to  daughter,  or  from  grandmother  to 
granddaughter,  in  those  days,  and  some  especially 
choice  design  finely  executed  often  passed  through 
several  generations  as  an  heirloom.  I  have  known 
grandmothers  and  mothers  to  apportion  them  by 
will  to  their  children,  and  the  same  is  true  of 
the  beautifully  designed  and  highly  prized  old 
woolen  "coverlids." 

Another  "bee"  which   deserves  to  be   remem- 


Pioneer  Co-operation  47 

bered,  and  one  which  belonged  to  the  entire  com- 
munity, both  male  and  female,  old  and  young, 
was  the  "spelling  bee."  This  was  usually  held 
in  the  school  house,  a  very  crude  log  structure, 
of  which  I  shall  have  more  to  say  later  on.  This 
"bee"  was  held  at  night,  and  usually  consisted 
of  a  match  between  two  schools,  each  contending 
for  the  mastery  over  the  other.  They  would 
usually  stand  up  on  either  side  of  the  room,  and 
the  teachers  would  select  the  words  to  be  spelled 
from  the  dictionary  or  spelling  book.  When 
any  participant  misspelled  a  word  he  was  obliged 
to  sit  down  and  retire  from  the  contest.  Finally 
only  two  would  remain  on  the  floor,  and  then 
the  contest  became  spirited  and  exciting.  At  last 
one  of  these  would  misspell  a  word  and  the  other 
spell  it  correctly,  or  usually  would,  and  thus 
carry  off  the  laurels  for  his  school.  And  the 
victor  would  not  always  be  from  among  the  big 
boys  and  girls;  often  some  boy  or  girl  from  ten 
to  fifteen  years  of  age  would  vanquish  all  con- 
testants. The  spelling  bees  were  productive  of 
the  greatest  good,  inspiring  an  interest  in  good 
spelling,  and  the  pronunciation  of  words  through- 
out the  entire  community,  and  young  and  old  vied 
with  each  other  in  the  task  of  learning  to  spell 
every  word  in  Webster's  academic  dictionary. 


48  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

During  the  evening's  program  there  would 
usually  be  half  an  hour's  intermission,  or  "recess," 
as  it  was  called,  and  during  this  interval  the 
young  people  became  better  acquainted  with  each 
other,  and  engaged  in  the  harmless  games  and 
sports  prevailing  in  those  days. 

Another  custom  which  then  prevailed  illus- 
trates very  clearly  the  spirit  of  the  times.  If 
there  happened  to  be  a  poor  old  widow  in  the 
neighborhood,  or  a  family  where  the  only  male 
member  was  sick,  the  men  and  boys  of  the  com- 
munity would  congregate  at  their  home  and  spend 
a  day  in  cutting  wood  for  them,  usually  fur- 
nishing them  with  a  supply  ample  to  last  through 
the  entire  winter. 

Then  there  were  the  "school  days,"  which  must 
not  be  overlooked.  The  school  house  was  always 
a  log  structure,  rather  longer  than  wide,  with  a 
big  fireplace  built  in  one  side  of  it,  large  enough 
to  take  in  sticks  of  wood  six  feet  in  length.  Its 
light  would  diffuse  a  ruddy  glow  throughout  the 
room. 

Our  desks  and  seats  were  not  a  bit  like  the 
modern  article.  For  desks  we  had  thick  adzed 
and  hand-planed  puncheons  laid  upon  wooden 
pegs  driven  in  auger  holes  in  the  logs,  along 
each  side  of  the  walls  of  the  room.  Our  seats 


Pioneer  Co-operation  49 

were  merely  slabs  supported  by  legs  or  pegs 
driven  into  auger  holes  bored  in  the  under  side 
of  the  slabs.  There  were  neither  backs  nor 
cushions  on  the  seats,  and  thus  we  sat  on  the 
rough  boards  ranged  around  the  walls  of  the 
log  structure. 

There  were  only  about  three  months  of  school 
during  the  entire  year  and  we  made  the  most 
of  it,  learning  how  to  "read,  write  and  cipher" 
with  the  best  of  them,  and  something  of  geog- 
raphy, grammar  and  history  as  well.  Our 
teachers  in  those  days  always  believed  in  the 
use  of  birch  and  hickory  oil  to  persuade  boys 
and  girls  to  live  up  to  the  rules  of  the  school, 
and  few  escaped  chastisement,  or  "lickings"  as 
we  called  them,  during  our  school-day  career. 
But,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  our  teachers  meant 
everything  for  our  good,  and  we  usually  en- 
joyed the  pleasantest  relations.  At  Christmas 
time  the  teacher  was  accustomed  to  treat  the 
school  to  real  candy,  or  if  not  at  that  time, 
then  on  the  last  day  of  school.  This  had  a 
natural  tendency  to  cement  our  friendship,  and 
we  could  in  consideration  of  such  amenities  for- 
give and  forget  any  fancied  grievance. 

There  was  a  novel  custom  in  vogue  in  those 
days  regarding  the  entertainment  and  lodging 


SO  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

of  the  "schoolmaster,"  as  he  was  called,  which 
would  seem  highly  interesting,  no  doubt,  to  the 
youth  of  today.  Our  schoolmaster  was  paid 
thirty  dollars  per  month  and  "boarded  round," 
by  which  term  was  meant  that  the  master  was 
given  his  board  and  lodging  by  the  patrons  of 
the  school  in  addition  to  his  salary.  This  meant 
that  every  family  sending  children  to  school  was 
expected  to  maintain  open  house  to  the  school- 
master at  some  period  of  the  school  term.  In 
some  respects  this  was  not  a  bad  idea,  since  it 
afforded  the  teacher  and  parents  ample  oppor- 
tunity to  become  thoroughly  acquainted,  and  en- 
abled a  master  to  observe  the  home  life  and  con- 
ditions of  all  his  pupils,  which  the  modern 
schoolmaster  seldom  has  opportunity  of  doing. 
In  this  respect  at  least  he  is  decidedly  at  a  dis- 
advantage with  his  predecessor  of  pioneer  days. 

Pioneer  homes  were  not  furnished  with  the 
assortment  we  are  now  familiar  with,  and  it  may 
be  of  interest  to  mention  a  few  of  the  details. 

All  the  heating  of  the  log  houses  was  done  by 
means  of  fireplaces.  These  were  built  at  one 
end  of  the  house,  and  were  indeed  monstrous 
affairs,  some  of  them  being  wide  enough  to  take 
in  sticks  of  wood  and  logs  eight  feet  in  length. 
To  build  a  fire  a  very  large  log  called  the  "back 


Pioneer  Co-operation  51 

log"  was  placed  in  the  very  back  of  the  fireplace. 
Split  sticks  were  then  laid  on  andirons  in  front 
of  this  back  log,  and  small  sticks,  shavings  and 
punk  put  immediately  underneath  and  in  front 
of  them.  To  kindle  the  fire  flint  and  steel  were 
used  to  strike  sparks  into  this  inflammable  ma- 
terial, and  a  blaze  would  finally  start  up  and  set 
the  fire  going.  A  fire  was  nearly  always  kept 
alive  in  one  of  the  fireplaces  in  the  house  by 
covering  up  the  coals  with  ashes  when  the  heat 
was  not  needed.  I  was  a  pretty  good-sized  boy 
when  matches  came  into  general  use. 

All  the  cooking  was  done  at  first  in  pots, 
pans,  and  iron  ovens  which  were  set  in  or  upon 
the  coals;  and  in  my  opinion  the  cast-iron  cook 
stove  and  the  modern  ranges  have  failed  to  add 
anything  to  the  flavor  or  wholesomeness  of  the 
food  cooked  by  the  pioneer  process.  (My  father 
bought  the  first  cast-iron  cook  stove  which  came 
into  our  neighborhood,  and  it  was  so  heavy  that 
it  took  six  men  to  lift  it  into  the  rear  end  of 
a  two-horse  wagon  bed.)  I  have  never  tasted 
anything  more  delicious  than  the  pork  and  beans 
baked  in  a  "Dutch  oven"  covered  up  all  night, 
in  the  coals  and  ashes  of  the  old  fireplace  at 
home,  or  the  meats  broiled  upon  the  coals  them- 
selves under  a  watchful  and  experienced  eye;  and 


52  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

baked  potatoes  never  were  so  good  as  when 
roasted  in  the  coals  and  ashes  of  that  same  old 
fireplace. 

Nearly  all  the  furniture  at  first  was  of  the 
home-made  variety.  Tables,  beds,  chairs,  and 
bureaus  were  usually  the  work  of  the  head  of 
the  family,  and  crudities  abounded  in  profu- 
sion. Space  was  necessarily  conserved,  since 
cabins  were  the  rule  at  first,  and,  ventilation 
being  good  wherever  there  were  fireplaces  and 
liberal  cracks  between  the  logs,  the  health  of 
the  inhabitants  never  suffered  even  though  an 
entire  family  slept  in  the  same  room. 

Of  course  beds  could  not  usurp  the  entire 
space,  so  they  manufactured  for  the  children 
what  was  familiarly  known  as  the  "trundle  bed." 
This  was  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  very  low 
bed  which  barely  escaped  rubbing  against  the 
floor.  It  was  provided  with  castors,  and  during 
the  day  it  was  slipped  entirely  under  the  high 
four-poster  of  father  and  mother.  At  bedtime 
it  was  pulled  out  from  under  their  bed  nearer 
to  the  fireplace,  and  the  youngsters  soon  crawled 
beneath  the  covers  and  slept  sweetly,  warmly, 
and  soundly  until  morn's  early  dawn.  Then 
father  would  arise  and  build  the  fire.  This  he 
did  by  shoveling  off  the  ashes  with  which  the 


Pioneer  Co-operation  S3 

coals  had  been  covered  the  night  before  and 
throwing  some  dry  wood  upon  the  bright  red 
embers.  A  blazing  fire  was  soon  under  head- 
way, and  the  chill  of  a  winter's  morn  quickly 
faded  away.  The  youngsters  then  arose  and 
donned  their  clothing  and  moccasins  beside  its 
warmth  and  glowing  radiance. 

For  the  babes  a  big  evenly  balanced  and  well- 
rounded  "sugar  trough"  was  brought  in  from 
the  "sugar  camp"  and  the  little  one  ensconced 
therein  amid  feather  ticks  and  pillows.  Many 
a  great  statesman  was  rocked  to  sleep  in  child- 
hood's earliest  hours  by  the  loving  hand  of  a 
fond  mother  who  could  afford  nothing  better  than 
a  sugar-trough  cradle. 

At  first  there  were  no  mills  in  the  new  coun- 
try, and  we  had  to  pound  our  corn  fine  just  as 
the  Indians  did  in  order  to  have  our  corn  cakes 
and  corn  bread.  It  was  several  years  before  the 
old  water  mills  came  on  the  scene,  and  no  wheat 
or  rye  was  raised  in  our  neighborhood  until  the 
first  mill  arrived.  This  was  an  old  grist  mill  of 
the  water-wheel  type,  and  the  corn  and  wheat 
were  reduced  to  powder  by  being  ground  be- 
tween two  milled  stones  called  "burrs,"  which 
revolved  just  underneath  a  big  storage  receptacle 
called  a  "hopper."  This  hopper  had  a  small  hole 


54  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

at  the  bottom  directly  over  these  stones,  and 
fed  the  grain  to  the  revolving  burrs  through  an 
opening  in  the  upper  stone. 

In  those  days  every  farmer  took  his  own  corn 
and  wheat  to  the  mill  and  waited  until  it  was 
ground.  The  miller  took  out  his  charge  for 
the  service,  which  was  called  his  "toll,"  and 
then  the  farmer  took  the  residue,  which  was 
always  the  larger  portion.  Quite  often  in  the 
busy  season  one  would  have  to  wait  all  day,  and 
sometimes  far  into  the  night,  before  his  "grist" 
was  ready  for  him.  We  pioneer  boys  and  girls 
always  considered  it  a  treat  to  accompany  father 
to  the  mill.  We  could  fish  in  the  mill  race, 
romp  around  the  mill,  and  have  a  jolly  time  all 
day  long.  We  could  also  go  in  bathing,  or 
"swimming,"  as  we  called  it,  in  "de  natura"  cos- 
tumes, if  it  happened  to  be  in  the  good  warm 
days  of  summertime. 

By-and-by  sawmills  arrived  on  the  scene. 
They  were  the  water-wheel  type  also.  The 
saws  were  not  circular,  but  straight-edged  like 
the  cross-cut  saw,  and  were  set  in  a  frame  and 
ran  up  and  down  through  a  log.  They  were 
not  very  speedy,  but  they  managed  to  do  the 
work  for  a  time. 

Perhaps  some  of  the  boys  will  not  understand 


Pioneer  Co-operation  55 

what  I  mean  by  the  water-wheel  type  of  mill. 
For  their  enlightenment  let  me  say  that  a  dam 
was  usually  constructed  across  a  creek  or  river. 
The  water  would  rise  to  a  great  height  behind  it 
and  furnish  a  supply  even  in  dry  seasons.  From 
one  side  of  this  a  channel,  called  a  "mill  race" 
was  dug  directly  to  the  water  wheel  which  was 
to  turn  the  machinery  of  the  mill.  This  wheel 
was  constructed  of  wood  with  little  trough-shaped 
buckets  across  its  width.  The  water  from  the 
mill  race  ran  at  a  high  rate  of  speed  against 
these  buckets  on  the  wheel.  The  weight  and 
velocity  of  the  water  combined  caused  the  wheel 
to  revolve  rapidly,  and  thus  to  turn  and  operate 
the  machinery  attached  to  the  shaft  on  which 
the  wheel  was  securely  fastened. 

About  twice  a  year  the  miller  would  clean 
out  the  wheel  and  portions  of  the  race.  This 
would  leave  the  race  temporarily  dry,  and  re- 
veal to  our  eager  boyish  eyes  all  the  fish  in  the 
mill  race.  There  were  some  lively  scrambles 
you  may  be  sure  to  gather  up  the  best  of  these 
finny  creatures.  Sometimes  there  would  be  as 
many  as  a  couple  of  wagon  loads  of  nice  fish, 
and  thousands  of  smaller  ones.  The  water  was 
turned  on  or  off  from  the  race  by  means  of  small 
gates  near  the  dam  at  the  head  of  the  mill  race. 


56  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

Perhaps  the  boys  and  girls  of  today  would 
like  to  learn  something  about  how  our  mothers 
in  pioneer  days  made  the  greater  part  of  our 
clothing.  In  the  first  place  the  sheep  were 
sheared;  then  the  wool  was  washed,  and  taken 
to  what  was  called  a  carding  mill.  There  it  was 
carded,  and  came  back  nice  and  smooth  to  our 
mothers,  who  put  it  on  the  spinning  wheel  and 
spun  it  out  in  long  fine  threads  called  yarn;  and 
into  still  finer  threads  for  weaving  purposes. 
Then  on  an  old  loom  operated  with  her  foot, 
and  the  shuttle  by  her  hand,  she  wove  the  threads 
into  cloth  for  our  clothes  or  woolens  for  our 
shirts  and  dresses  for  the  ladies  and  girls. 

Before  the  carding  mills  came  we  did  not 
wear  pants  of  jeans,  but  buckskin  served  the 
purpose  just  as  well.  Cloth  for  other  purposes 
came  too  high  for  us  while  buckskin  was  so 
cheap. 

Up  to  the  time  I  was  twelve  years  old  I  had 
never  seen  any  kind  of  footwear  save  buckskin 
moccasins,  which  were  worn  by  men,  women,  and 
children.  The  elk  and  moose  hides  were  tanned 
by  our  own  fathers  and  made  by  them  and  our 
mothers  into  moccasins.  These  were  sewed 
usually  by  a  fine  thread  of  split  deer  tendon  or 
a  wax-end  thread,  if  we.  had. one.  There  never 


Pioneer  Co-operation  57 

was  anything  quite  so  comfortable,  durable,  and 
waterproof  as  the  old  moccasin,  if  it  was  kept 
properly  saturated  with  tallow  mixed  with  burnt 
straw.  The  latter  filled  up  the  pores  in  the 
hide  and  kept  out  all  water.  Boys  who  are 
used  to  patronizing  boot-blacking  stands  please 
think  of  the  condition  of  our  hands  after  apply- 
ing this  mixture  of  hot  tallow  and  black  burned 
straw  to  the  surface  of  the  moccasins  on  the 
hearthstones  of  the  old  fireplace. 

Our  stockings  and  socks  were  knit  by  hand  by 
our  mothers  and  sisters,  and  there  were  few  so- 
called  leisure  moments  in  winter  when  their 
nimble  fingers  were  not  busy  with  the  knitting 
needle  and  the  skeins  and  balls  of  yarn.  I  have 
seen  little  girls  nine  years  of  age  who  could 
knit  socks  and  mittens  with  the  best  of  them. 
Boys  and  girls  learned  to  work  early  in  those 
days.  A  big  healthy  boy  could  handle  a  plow 
or  wield  a  hoe  in  the  cornfield  at  from  eight 
to  ten  years  of  age,  and  could  almost  do  a  man's 
work  at  sixteen,  but  none  were  slaves. 

Farming  implements  were  of  the  very  simplest 
sort  at  that  time,  no  machinery  being  in  exist- 
ence. Our  plows  were  made  of  wood  with  iron 
edges,  and  an  iron  coulter  to  cut  the  roots  that 
were  always  in  the  way  in  the  "new  ground." 


58  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

The  corn  was  cut  with  a  corn  knife,  or  "cutter," 
by  hand;  and  wheat,  rye,  and  oats  were  cut  with 
sickles  and  cradles  by  hand  and  bound  up  with 
bands  of  straw  by  hand.  All  other  implements 
were  of  like  character.  Cultivation  with  the  hoe 
in  the  "new  ground"  was  a  prime  necessity. 

In  the  summer  time  and  until  the  latter  part  of 
October,  "when  the  frost  was  on  the  pumpkin 
and  the  fodder  in  the  shock,"  all  good  boys  and 
girls  went  barefoot  about  their  tasks,  and  did 
not  mind  it  a  bit;  in  fact,  they  were  always 
anxious  in  the  springtime  for  parental  permission 
to  shed  their  moccasins  and  wool  stockings,  or 
socks,  as  the  case  might  be. 

Surely  we  had  an  old  "swimmin'  hole,"  and 
we  could  do  anything  ever  done  at  such  a  place 
by  James  Whitcomb  Riley  or  any  of  his  chums. 
And  it  was  a  sight,  bigger,  deeper,  wider,  and 
prettier  than  that  little  Brandywine  Creek  down 
in  Indiana,  and  that  was  certainly  a  delightful 
and  joyous  spot,  which  well  deserved  immor- 
tality in  verse. 

Our  first  seed  corn  we  obtained  from  the 
Indians,  and  it  was  of  two  varieties;  one  a 
beautiful  white  corn,  and  the  other  an  early 
corn,  which  we  used,  as  the  Indians  did,  for 
early  roasting  ears  and  succotash.  The  Indians 


Pioneer  Co-operation  59 

cut  a  great  deal  of  their  corn  off  the  cob  while 
in  the  milky  state,  and  dried  it  in  the  sun.  This 
they  used  in  the  winter  season  to  boil  in  the 
pot  with  venison;  and  it  made  a  very  palatable 
dish,  as  I  can  testify  from  personal  experience 
on  many  occasions.  The  remainder  of  their  corn 
they  allowed  to  mature,  and  pounded  it  up  for 
meal,  out  of  which  they  made  their  corn  cakes. 

Oxen  were  the  great  beasts  of  work  and  burden 
in  those  days.  Their  gentleness  and  slow  move- 
ments, as  well  as  their  strength,  made  them  al- 
most indispensable  in  the  "new  ground"  in  the 
"clearings."  Horses  did  not  come  into  use  for 
farm  purposes  to  a  great  extent  for  many  years; 
not  until  roots,  stumps,  and  brush  gave  way  to 
regular  husbandry,  and  level  fields  became  the 
rule  instead  of  the  exception.  Then  the  slow- 
going  oxen  were  superseded  by  the  speedy  horse, 
and  good  roads  made  him  necessary  as  a  beast  of 
travel. 

Farm  stock  was  very  scarce  for  many  years, 
and  every  calf,  pig,  and  lamb  was  allowed  to 
reach  maturity,  and  most  of  them  were  bred  to 
increase  the  numbers. 

Wild  bees  were  numerous,  and  honey  was  very 
plentiful  in  the  forests  for  many  years.  Hollow 
basswoods  or  lindens  were  favorite  places  for 


60  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

them  to  make  their  homes;  also  hollows  in 
big  oak  limbs,  which  would  often  run  back  into 
a  hollow  place  in  the  main  part  of  the  tree.  The 
bees  could  be  easily  traced  to  these  trees,  and 
when  we  located  the  trees  we  would  cut  them 
down  and  get  the  honey.  To  prevent  the  bees 
from  stinging  us  we  would  have  torches  of  straw, 
and  they  would  always  fly  into  the  flames  like 
moths  and  burn  to  death.  We  often  obtained  a 
wash-tub  full  of  honey  from  a  single  swarm. 
Sometimes  we  would  remove  swarms  to  hives  at 
home  and  thus  domesticate  them. 

As  a  boy  I  soon  became  very  expert  at  locating 
bee  trees.  I  once  made  a  big  mistake,  however. 
I  followed  a  bee  toward  his  tree,  but  lost  him  a 
short  distance  from  that  spot;  and,  looking  about, 
I  thought  I  spied  a  lot  of  bees  issuing  from  the 
top  of  a  big  pine  stub  which  was  hollow  near 
the  top.  Four  of  us  cut  the  stub  down,  and  as  it 
fell  we  rushed  up  to  seize  the  honey  and  fight 
the  bees  away.  It  seems  that  in  falling  the  stub 
broke  in  two  pieces  right  at  the  place  where  the 
nest  was,  and  when  we  reached  the  tree  it  seemed 
as  though  thousands  of  white  wasps  attacked  us 
and  made  us  run  for  cover.  One  stung  me  be- 
tween the  eyes,  and  the  pain  was  so  great  that  I 
fell  to  the  ground ;  but  I  could  not  lie  there,  so  I 


Pioneer  Co-operation  61 

jumped  up  and  ran  to  the  bushes,  where  I  found 
my  companions.  Afterward  we  located  the  bee 
tree,  a  few  rods  distant,  cut  it  down,  and  got  an 
enormous  lot  of  honey;  but  we  all  went  home 
covered  with  knots  and  bumps  as  reminders  of 
our  interference  with  the  home  life  of  white 
wasps. 

Sometimes  a  mischievous  impulse  will  seize 
hold  of  boys  which  seems  irresistible,  and  the 
pranks  and  devilish  tricks  that  they  will  impose 
upon  dumb  brutes  is  almost  unbelievable.  While 
laboring  under  those  spells  we  used  to  wait  for 
cattle  to  pass  under  the  limbs  of  trees  where 
great  nests  of  hornets,  almost  as  big  as  a  bushel 
basket,  hung  suspended  from  their  branches;  and 
when  the  poor  cattle  would  get  directly  beneath 
this  nest  one  of  our  number  would  throw  a  club 
and  hit  the  nest.  The  hornets  would  immediately 
sally  forth  in  great  force,  and  sting  the  cattle 
upon  their  backs  until  they  bellowed  with  pain 
and  ran  for  the  bushes  in  a  mad  gallop,  while 
we,  little  rascals,  would  roll  upon  the  grass  in 
fiendish  glee.  Now  hornets  are  the  most  vicious 
of  the  entire  "stinger"  family,  and  it  was  indeed 
a  shame  to  inflict  such  punishment  upon  poor 
innocent  cattle.  If  our  parents  had  ever  heard 
of  our  escapades  they  would  surely  have  visited 


62  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

condign  punishment  upon  that  part  of  our 
anatomy  where  the  hornets  stung  the  cattle. 

In  those  days  pioneer  boys  had  many  playmates 
which  were  not  of  their  kind ;  but  they  enlivened 
the  hours  and  the  activity  of  youth  was  well  sus- 
tained by  their  presence. 

My  father  often  caught  black  and  brown  bear 
cubs  in  the  woods  straying  too  far  from  the 
rendezvous  where  their  mothers  had  no  doubt 
left  them  and  charged  them  to  keep  invisible; 
but  like  all  youngsters,  they  did  not  mind  their 
parent  and,  as  usual,  came  to  grief,  and  in  these 
cases  to  captivity.  We  had  much  sport  with 
young  cubs,  which  would  become  as  tame  as 
dogs,  following  us  around  wherever  we  would 
allow  them  to  go.  They  became  much  attached 
to  us,  and  often,  while  in  the  woods,  I  would 
hide  behind  a  stump  or  tree  to  see  what  effect 
it  would  have  on  Mr.  Cub.  He  would  look  all 
around  and  then  cry  and  whine  most  piteously 
for  me.  Then  when  I  would  step  from  behind 
the  tree  or  stump  and  he  would  catch  sight  of 
me,  he  would  come  racing  toward  me  as  fast  as 
his  clumsy  legs  could  carry  him.  His  locomo- 
tion was  a  gallop,  and  the  way  he  could  get  over 
the  ground  after  a  running  boy  and  overtake 
him  makes  me  think  of  the  ease  with  which  the 


Pioneer  Co-operation  63 

famous  thoroughbred  Dick  Welles  used  to  over- 
haul with  his  swift,  graceful,  undulating  gallop 
his  competitors  at  the  old  Washington  Park 
track.  While  viewing  this  performance  my 
mind  always  went  back  to  the  cubs  which  used 
to  chase  and  overhaul  me  in  the  Michigan  woods 
in  my  boyhood  days. 

I  remember  one  particularly  saucy  brown  bear 
cub,  which  had  grown  to  good  proportions  and 
had  become  very  tame,  but  we  always  kept  a  chain 
fastened  to  him  by  which  to  tether  him  at  night. 
During  the  day  he  ran  loose,  dragging  the  long 
chain.  One  day  he  concluded  to  explore  the 
woods  without  due  leave  of  absence,  and  I  pur- 
sued him  with  our  pack  of  dogs.  They  soon 
overhauled  him,  and  ran  him  up  to  the  top  of 
a  hill,  where  he  sat  with  his  back  to  a  tree  and 
fought  them  off.  I  came  along  and  got  hold  of 
the  chain  and  pulled  on  it,  trying  to  persuade 
him  to  follow  me.  I  did  my  best  to  coax  him, 
but  he  was  in  an  ugly  mood  and  would  not  be 
persuaded.  He  was  stronger  than  I,  and  rapidly 
drew  me  toward  him,  shortening  the  chain  as  he 
pleased.  I  kept  jerking  it,  and  hanging  on  to  it. 
Finally,  when  he  had  me  close  enough,  he  gave 
me  a  quick  cuff  with  one  of  his  paws  alongside 
my  face,  which  sent  me  tumbling  down  hill  with 


64  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  blood  flowing  from  the  deep  gash  his  claws 
had  made  in  my  cheek.  It  left  a  small  scar  which 
has  never  entirely  disappeared,  and  can  be  traced 
whenever  I  shave  closely.  I  got  up,  however, 
and,  with  my  fighting  blood  aroused,  returned 
to  the  contest.  While  I  jerked  on  the  chain  the 
dogs  got  in  his  rear  and  gave  him  several  good 
sharp  bites.  Then  he  changed  his  mind  very 
quickly  about  the  entire  program,  and  trotted 
after  me  as  though  nothing  had  ever  happened 
to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the  morning. 

Father  often  found  young  fawns,  wildcats, 
lynxes,  and  raccoons,  and  brought  them  home  to 
us  for  pets,  and  we  succeeded  in  taming  all  of 
them,  and  having  much  sport  with  them. 

The  young  cubs  always  delighted  to  wrestle 
with  the  boys,  and  we  encouraged  them,  too, 
sometimes  coming  out  second  best  in  the  tussle. 
When  they  became  full  grown  we  usually  dis- 
posed of  them,  especially  after  an  unfortunate 
occurrence  which  I  must  here  relate. 

Neighbor  Decker  at  Flint  had  a  big  full-grown 
bear,  which  had  been  raised  from  cubhood  by 
his  son,  who  was  at  the  time  it  happened  a  young 
man  of  twenty,  hale,  robust,  and  muscular.  He 
had  taught  the  cub  to  wrestle,  and  kept  up  the 
sport  until  he  was  fully  grown.  The  animal  had 


Streeter,  a  Pioneer  Showman 


Pioneer  Co-operation  65 

never  shown  any  disposition  to  be  ugly,  so  there 
seemed  no  reason  to  discontinue  the  sport  be- 
cause he  had  become  a  full-grown  bear.  The 
youth  having  also  grown  to  maturity,  felt  no  fear 
of  his  playmate.  But  one  day,  while  engaged 
in  a  particularly  close  contest,  the  bear  became 
very  angry  and  crushed  the  young  man  to  death 
in  his  arms  before  help  could  reach  him.  After 
this  tragic  occurrence  we  disposed  of  a  cub  be- 
fore he  reached  the  dangerous  stage,  not  caring 
to  take  any  chances. 

There  was  another  phase  of  my  youthful  life 
which  was  particularly  delightful  and  somewhat 
remunerative  as  well.  This  was  trapping  wild 
game  of  the  fur-bearing  kind,  and  commenced 
when  I  was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  My 
father  and  older  brothers  gave  me  valuable  and 
experienced  instruction  on  the  finer  points  of  the 
business. 

I  was  an  interested  and  apt  scholar  and  soon 
had  my  deadfalls,  pitfalls  and  snares  at  work 
for  miles  along  the  Flint  River,  and  caught  large 
numbers  of  raccoon,  beaver,  fox,  otter,  mink  and 
muskrat.  Their  hides  I  stretched  by  the  processes 
then  in  use,  and  sold  them  for  prices  which  now 
seem  ridiculously  small;  but  it  afforded  great 
sport,  and  the  exercise  of  cunning  and  ingenuity, 


66  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

and  the  opportunity  to  acquaint  myself  with  the 
habits  and  traits  of  almost  every  fur-bearing 
animal  living  there  at  that  time. 

We  also  had  our  domestic  pets  in  which  we 
took  great  pride.  Almost  every  boy  had  his 
own  dog,  pig,  and  sometimes  calf.  I  trained 
several  calves  up  to  young  oxen,  and  accustomed 
them  to  the  use  of  the  yoke,  often  getting  my 
bare  feet  cut  by  their  sharp  hoofs  during  the 
process.  My  father,  who  had  given  them  to 
me,  usually  bought  them  back  at  this  stage  of 
their  development,  and  I  was  glad  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  sell  to. him,  for  it  kept  my  old-time  pets 
at  home.  I  was  always  loath  to  part  with  old 
friends. 

I  always  managed  to  coax  my  pet  pig  into  a 
distant  fence  corner  by  himself,  and  there  give 
him  the  best  of  food.  This  caused  him  to  grow 
and  fatten  at  a  livelier  rate  than  his  fellows,  and 
he  was  always  the  choicest  of  the  litter  in  a  short 
time.  His  pigship  soon  grew  particularly  ap- 
preciative of  these  favors  and  would  follow  me 
down  the  lane  like  a  dog.  When  he  had  de- 
voured the  food  he  would  roll  over  and  grunt 
his  gratitude  as  long  as  I  cared  to  tarry  by  his 
side. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  CONTRAST 

How  different  was  this  wholesome  happy  life 
of  those  pioneer  days  from  that  of  the  street 
urchin  of  our  great  cities,  who  gets  his  instruc- 
tion as  a  rule  from  older  and  often  degenerate 
saloon-loafing  companions,  whose  footsteps  he 
speedily  learns  to  follow,  while  father  and  mother 
are  too  busy  earning  money  to  pay  for  food, 
clothing,  and  rent  to  give  much  attention  to 
their  offspring. 

While  the  conditions  of  pioneer  life  may  not 
have  been  all  that  could  be  desired,  how  far 
superior  were  they  to  such  as  now  prevail  in 
the  great  cities.  I  am  now  past  the  allotted 
three-score  and  ten,  but  yet  active  and  hearty, 
and  if  I  had  to  choose  between  the  country  toil 
and  wage  slavery  I  would  not  hesitate  to  go  back 
to  the  country  and  live  in  a  cabin,  if  need  be, 
and  till  the  soil  to  earn  my  daily  bread.  If  I 
were  a  young  man,  or  a  man  with  a  family, 
nothing  could  induce  me  to  become  a  wage  slave 
of  the  parvenu  rich,  and  sell  my  children  into 


68  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  ever-increasing  wage  slave  system,  whose 
masters  (slave  drivers  of  the  most  diabolical 
sort)  for  the  love  of  the  accursed,  degenerating 
and  indefensible  luxury  of  millions  of  unearned 
wealth,  wrung  from  the  fathers,  mothers,  sons 
and  daughters  of  this  great  republic,  reach  out 
with  greedy  hands  to  drag  ever-increasing  mil- 
lions into  their  shambles  of  factories  with  their 
pretentious  hospital  attachments  and  their  gray- 
ghost  kidnapping  ambulances.  I  would  rather 
"be  a  dog  and  bay  the  moon"  than  to  feed  my 
progeny  into  the  maws  of  these  outlaws  of  so- 
ciety— these  murdering,  plundering  pirates  of 
high  finance. 

These  men  are  the  worst  traitors  who  ever 
trod  the  soil  of  our  glorious  land;  a  country 
dedicated  by  our  forefathers  to  liberty,  inde- 
pendence, and  the  right  to  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness, and  baptized  with  the  dying  blood  of  thou- 
sands of  them.  Yet  these  traitors  believe  in 
none  of  the  fundamental  principles  for  which  our 
forefathers  fought  and  died,  and  upon  which  our 
government  is  builded;  they  do  not  even  be- 
lieve in  the  very  keystone  of  the  sacred  struc- 
ture, that  the  will  of  the  majority  of  the  people, 
whatever  it  may  be,  is  supreme  at  all  times,  and 
that  the  minority  shall  have  no  right  to  violate 


The  Contrast  69 

that  will  so  long  as  it  remains  upon  the  statute 
books  of  the  land,  and  that  they  shall  not  un- 
lawfully endeavor  to  remove  it  therefrom. 

Yet  these  arch  traitors  have,  for  the  past  twenty- 
five  years  or  more,  openly  violated  the  laws  of 
the  land  by  their  unlawful  combinations,  black- 
lists, discriminations,  rebates,  and  countless  other 
willfully  unlawful  acts.  But  worse  than  all  else, 
they  have  done  everything  under  the  shining  sun 
which  they  and  their  degenerate  and  unmoral 
lawyers,  and  other  paid  tools  and  crooks,  could 
think  of  to  prevent  the  reign  of  the  popular  will, 
to  thwart  and  make  impossible  the  sovereignty  of 
the  people.  And,  for  what?  That  they  in  their 
selfish  greed  might  be  sovereign,  the  people  their 
serfs,  and  that  the  wealth  produced  by  the  toil- 
ing millions  might  be  their  own  stolen  private 
property. 

And  it  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that 
to  accomplish  their  ends  they  have  bribed  our 
courts,  our  town  and  city  councils,  our  state  legis- 
latures, our  members  of  Congress,  and  have  even 
elected  themselves  and  their  paid  lawyers  to  the 
United  States  Senate  under  the  guise  of  being 
representatives  of  the  people,  when  in  fact  the 
legislature  which  elected  them  had  been  bought 
outright,  or  its  members  beforehand  elected  with 


70  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  money  of  these  criminal  traitors  to  free 
government. 

They  have  even  had  the  audacity  to  demand 
and  dictate  to  the  national  conventions  of  the 
great  political  parties  the  nomination  of  their 
own  hirelings  for  Chief  Executive  of  the  nation; 
and  they  have  many  times  tempted  weak  senators 
and  congressmen,  who  had  not  hitherto  been  at- 
tached to  their  pay  roll,  and  their  downfall  has 
been  the  talk  of  the  nation. 

But  what  penalty  have  these  traitors  paid?  Do 
any  of  them  languish  in  dungeons  or  forfeit  the 
charters  of  their  corporations  to  the  people  from 
whom  they  obtained  the  right  to  operate  a  busi- 
ness in  compliance  with  the  people's  laws?  What 
penalty  have  they  paid  for  reversing  the  people's 
will  by  the  use  of  money  instead  of  the  ballot? 
Why,  their  paid  lawyers  have  been  boosted  into 
the  Attorney  General's  chair  of  the  nation,  and 
their  candidate  has  been  made  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  of  the  United  States  not  once,  but  many 
times. 

This  has  been  the  rule  rather  than  the  excep- 
tion. The  only  ones  to  pay  the  penalty  have  been 
the  cheap  novices  who  tried  to  get  into  the  select 
circle  of  outlaws  without  serving  the  required 
apprenticeship,  or  to  foil  some  well  hatched 


The  Contrast  71 

scheme  to  sell  watered  stock  to  the  people  via  the 
Wall  Street  route,  or  to  execute  a  trick  of  the 
same  kind  without  permission  of  the  overlords  of 
the  game.  The  only  men  to  pay  the  penalty  have 
been  those  men  whom  these  very  traitors,  these 
pirates  beyond  the  law,  have  marked  for  slaugh- 
ter. These  were  the  men  who  set  the  dogs  after 
Morse,  Heinze,  John  R.  Walsh,  and  all  the 
others  who  have  paid  the  penalty.  And  in  every 
case  these  piratical  ghouls  have  followed  in  the 
wake  and  reaped  the  harvest  of  slaughtered  stocks 
which  nobody  else  could  buy,  and  rewater  and 
foist  upon  the  investing  public  after  the  opium 
of  a  few  months  of  silence  had  made  it  again 
gullible. 

Nothing  has  escaped  their  all-devouring  ac- 
tivities. Even  the  churches  and  the  colleges  have 
been  subsidized  wherever  this  was  possible.  They 
have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  hire  experts  to  do 
nothing  but  distribute  this  "dirty  slush  fund,"  as 
we  used  to  call  such  money  in  a  political  cam- 
paign in  which  they  sought  to  dominate  some 
situation  of  importance. 

This  money  is  more  like  opium  than  anything 
I  can  liken  it  to  in  its  immediate  effects.  The 
president  of  the  college  and  the  board  of  trustees 
soon  get  rid  of  all  the  professors  of  spirit  and 


72  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

truth;  and  soon  in  their  chairs  are  installed  the 
apologists  of  commercial  piracy  and  disloyalty 
to  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  republic. 
Soon  wage  slavery  is  justified  under  the  guise 
of  necessity  in  big  business  operations,  and  the 
heads  of  this  accursed  oligarchy  of  wealth  are 
pointed  out  to  the  rising  generation  by  professors, 
nation-wide  lecturers,  and  so-called  ministers  of 
the  gospel,  as  samples  of  the  nation's  choicest 
fruit  in  the  national  orchard  of  manhood. 

What  is  the  purpose  of  all  this  activity  in 
hitherto  free  and  unexploited  institutions?  That 
the  white  wage-slavery  system  of  these  dollar-hog 
traitors  to  free  government  and  human  liberty 
may  be  perpetuated  and  maintained  throughout 
all  eternity  so  far  as  this  part  of  the  earth  is  con- 
cerned, and  that  it  shall  be  justified  by  the  teach- 
ing and  the  preaching  of  the  most  high  and  holy 
in  the  churches  and  in  the  schools  of  the  land, 
just  as  black  slavery  was  in  its  day  from  Father 
Abraham  to  Bob  Toombs  of  Georgia. 

Think  of  it;  there  are  today  more  than  one 
million  six  hundred  thousand  children  and  six 
million  women  in  the  bondage  of  these  dollar 
hogs  and  their  so-called  factories,  shops,  stores, 
and  offices  in  this  supposed  land  of  freedom  and 
free  opportunity.  Note  the  want  ad.  columns 


The  Contrast  73 

of  the  great  dailies  of  every  city  in  the  nation. 
You  will  find  them  filled  with  the  insatiable  de- 
mand for  women,  boys  and  girls  at  the  pittance 
of  a  wage  to  keep  their  establishments  running 
at  full  speed  and  capacity.  And  in  all  those 
great  industries  where  such  help  is  not  usable  the 
crying  demand  is  for  millions  of  cheap  foreigners 
who  will  work  for  a  pittance  and  live  more  like 
pigs  than  human  beings. 

Go  to  the  great  steel  mills  of  the  nation,  the 
harvester  factories,  and  all  of  the  allied  metal 
and  iron  mills,  and  you  will  find  millions  of 
foreigners  working  at  a  wage  that  any  self- 
respecting  American  born  and  bred  citizen  would 
scorn  to  accept,  because  he  knows  it  is  unjust 
and  dishonest. 

We  see  the  papers  of  the  land  filled  with  ques- 
tions as  to  the  underlying  cause  for  the  millions 
of  unemployed  men  in  our  great  cities — "the  army 
of  unemployed"  as  it  is  everywhere  characterized 
and  referred  to.  An  appropriation  of  four  mil- 
lion dollars  is  said  to  have  been  asked  for  by  our 
national  Secretary  of  Labor  to  inquire  exhaust- 
ively into  this  very  subject. 

The  cause  is  plain  to  be  seen,  so  plain  that  he 
who  runs  may  read  and  see;  even  the  blind  ought 
not  to  go  wide  of  the  mark.  These  men  are  un- 


74  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

employed,  walking  the  streets  of  our  cities  by 
day  and  by  night  seeking  honorable  employment 
because  the  dollar  hogs  of  the  land  some  years 
ago  discovered  that  they  could  hire  women,  chil- 
dren, and  ignorant  foreigners  to  do  their  work 
for  half,  or  even  less,  than  self-respecting  men 
would  accept  for  such  tasks. 

This  enslavement  of  the  women — wives,  sisters, 
boys  and  girls — of  the  nation  at  a  pittance  while 
husbands  and  brothers  walk  the  streets  in  search 
of  employment,  is  the  great  indictment  of  the 
age  in  which  we  live,  and  of  the  government 
which  we  have  been  taught  to  respect,  but  which 
no  longer  protects  our  families  from  the  rapacity 
and  inhuman  greed  of  these  dollar  hog  destroyers 
of  that  most  sacred  institution  of  the  human  race 
— the  home! 

So  the  homes  of  the  land  must  be  broken  up, 
and  our  wives  and  children  sacrificed  to  the 
maws  of  these  dollar  hogs  that  they  may  pile  up 
their  unearned  millions  and  live  abroad  in  such 
luxury  that  they  are  the  envy  of  kings;  in  such 
splendor  and  wanton  extravagance  that  the  fabled 
wealth  of  Croesus  and  Solomon  fades  into  insig- 
nificance. And  finally  they  have  the  impudence 
and  effrontery  to  pose  as  philanthropists  and  de- 
mand the  laurel  chaplet  from  the  American  people. 


The  Contrast  75 

Here  in  Chicago  we  have  a  dollar  hog,  one 
Julius  Rosenhog,  let  us  call  him  for  convenience, 
who  asks  the  people  of  this  supposed  land  of 
liberty  and  human  freedom  to  pat  him  on  the 
back  because  he  has  donated  several  hundred 
thousand  dollars  toward  the  liberation  of  the 
black  slaves  of  the  Southland  from  economic 
bondage,  while  at  the  same  time  he  maintains 
one  of  the  largest  and  worst  slave  pens  in  the 
Northland,  where  thousands  of  white  men  and 
women,  boys  and  girls  toil  daily  for  a  pittance; 
one  of  the  most  cruel  and  debasing  institutions 
that  ever  existed  in  the  history  of  the  human  race. 

The  pages  of  history  will  be  searched  in  vain 
to  find  a  more  despicable  and  realistic  system  of 
human  slavery  than  that  practiced  by  Rosenhog 
and  his  kind  throughout  this  land  of  so-called 
Christendom  and  civilization.  A  refined  system 
of  human  slavery,  which  can  only  boast  of  free 
air  and  water,  both  often  dirty  and  polluted;  a 
hellish  system  founded  on  fiendish  human  greed 
which  knows  no  satiation,  and  which  only  the 
American  dollar  hog  has  been  capable  of  foisting 
upon  the  human  race  without  any  effort  at  con- 
cealment; brazenly,  openly,  defiantly,  and  even 
insultingly.  Witness  the  exhibition  of  some  of 
these  gentlemen  (last  winter)  when  called  before 


76  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  legislature  investigating  committee,  of  which 
the  estimable  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Illinois  was 
the  author  and  champion.  The  gorillas  of  Dark- 
est Africa  are  more  considerate  of  their  kind  than 
some  of  these  hired  bulldozers  of  human  help 
in  these  stores  and  sweat-shop  factories. 

And  even  the  high-schools,  so-called,  must  have 
the  workshops  and  technical  schools  of  the  dollar 
hogs  injected  into  them  at  public  expense,  in 
order  that  these  gentry  may  be  sure  that  few  of 
the  school  children  will  escape  their  wage-slave 
system  and  that  they  may  lay  hands  on  them  at 
very  tender  ages  and  thus  make  sure  of  their 
valuable,  not  valued,  services. 

Fellow  countrymen,  here  let  us  draw  the  line — 
the  dead  line,  if  you  please!  Let  us  resolve  that 
they  shall  never  take  these  little  universities  of 
the  people — of  the  parents  and  children  alike — 
by  whose  money  and  for  whose  benefit  they  were 
originally  created,  without  a  battle  royal!  I 
carried  a  musket  loaded  with  powder  and  ball 
for  several  years  in  the  Sixties  to  preserve  the  in- 
tegrity of  our  institutions  and  to  prevent  the  fur- 
ther enslavement  of  the  black  race  of  the  nation; 
and,  if  need  be,  I  think  I  can  shoulder  one  again 
with  even  keener  relish  to  put  down  the  white 
slavery  of  the  dollar  hogs  of  the  North. 


The  Contrast  77 

I  am  not  afraid  to  call  for  volunteers  in  such 
a  cause  as  this  if  right  and  reason  will  not  avail 
anything  as  in  the  old  days  of  black  slavery.  If 
force  be  the  only  arbiter  of  this  question  then 
speed  the  day  that  I  may  mingle  in  the  conflict 
and  see  the  victory  of  liberty  for  the  white  race. 
I  want  to  live  long  enough  to  see  the  end  of 
this  irrepressible  conflict. 

The  technical  schools  are  all  right  in  their 
place;  but  their  place  is  not  in  the  public  school 
system,  nor  in  the  life  of  the  child  of  public 
school  age.  Their  place  is  at  a  later  period  of 
their  age  and  development.  There  will  be  no 
need  for  children  to  toil  in  the  institutions  of 
these  dollar  hogs  at  such  ages.  There  will  be 
plenty  of  time  for  them  to  spend  in  obtaining 
a  more  liberal  education  and  a  broader  view  of 
life  and  its  manifold  duties  and  relations,  before 
taking  up  technical  work  if  their  fathers  are 
employed  at  just  wages.  If  this  be  brought  to 
pass,  wives,  mothers,  sisters  and  brothers  will  not 
be  compelled  to  toil  for  the  dollar  hogs;  the 
father  will  not  be  compelled  to  walk  the  streets 
looking  for  a  "job,"  as  it  is  called  in  the  ver- 
nacular of  the  street,  nor  to  skip  the  town  in 
search  of  work  and  to  save  his  sense  of  self- 
respect,  while  his  wife  and  children  labor  for 


78  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  dollar  hogs  at  a  pittance;  and  the  home,  that 
most  sacred  of  all  human  institutions,  will  not 
then  be  sacrificed  to  the  conscienceless  dollar 
hogs. 

In  some  sections  of  this  country  home  destroy- 
ers inevitably  meet  their  just  fate,  and  the  man 
who  has  the  courage  and  the  disposition  to  ad- 
minister the  medicine  is  turned  free  by  a  jury 
of  his  peers  in  almost  every  case.  What  about 
the  home  destroyers  of  the  Northland?  They  are 
a  more  numerous  band  and  their  depredations 
are  ten  thousand  times  more  frequent,  more  sure 
and  certain,  more  despicable  and  detestible,  more 
diabolical  and  abominable  than  those  of  the 
South  and  West. 

This  situation,  my  countrymen,  is  the  impend- 
ing danger  of  the  hour!  It  is  the  one  problem 
which  must  be  solved  before  all  others.  It  can- 
not be  delayed.  It  cannot  be  palliated  or  com- 
promised. It  must  be  met,  and  that  immediately, 
if  we  are  to  stem  the  tide  of  this  dollar-hog  slav- 
ery which  engulfs  the  nation,  and  sweeps  over 
our  homes,  and  robs  our  firesides  under  the  guise 
of  commercial  necessity.  We  must  meet  it  and 
strangle  it  in  a  death  struggle  if  we  are  to  rescue 
our  homes,  our  children  and  our  wives!  It 
must  not  own  our  public  schools,  nor  dominate 


The  Contrast  79 

them.  It  has  gone  too  far  already  in  that  direc- 
tion. //  must  be  halted! 

The  dollar  hogs  have  subsidized  the  press,  the 
church  and  pulpit,  the  universities  and  the  med- 
ical schools;  not  all  of  them,  thank  God,  but  too 
many  of  them;  they  shall  not  own  the  public 
school  system  of  the  nation,  our  public  school 
system,  if  you  please! 

They  shall  not  teach  our  children  longer  that 
to  hold  a  "job,"  to  work  and  slave  for  a  lifetime 
for  a  pittance,  is  the  joy  and  the  aim  of  human 
life;  that  to  be  an  uncomplaining  slave  of  the 
dollar  hogs,  or  to  develop  into  one  by  craft  and 
cunning,  dishonesty  and  robbery,  is  the  true  ideal 
and  goal  of  American  citizenship;  that  the  most 
successful  and  powerful  dollar  hogs  of  the  nation's 
history  are  the  noblest  handiwork  of  God,  and 
the  ideal  business  men  of  our  nation's  history! 
It  shall  not  come  to  this  while  the  red  blood  of 
my  ancestors  and  the  clear  mind  of  an  honest 
conscience  are  yet  my  heritage.  I  will  fight 
them  though  mine  is  the  only  voice  to  be  heard 
and  the  only  sword  to  be  drawn  in  Freedom's 
name  for  the  freedom  of  our  schools,  our  wives, 
our  children,  and  the  freedom  of  the  human  race 
in  America! 

I  am  not  a  socialist,  nor  any  other  "ist"     I 


80  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

am  simply  a  true  descendant  of  Revolutionary 
sires,  of  defenders  of  liberty  and  human  freedom; 
a  believer  in  real  democracy,  in  the  broad  sense 
of  that  term;  and  I  am  disgusted  with  the  pre- 
tense that  we  have  any  longer  a  real  democracy 
so  far  as  the  government  is  concerned.  Still  I 
have  not  lost  faith  in  the  hope  that  such  a  govern- 
ment is  yet  possible  if  the  manhood  of  the  land 
will  demand  such  a  government,  and  be  satisfied 
with  nothing  less,  even  though  we  have  to  put 
our  muskets  on  our  shoulders  to  accomplish  it. 
It  is  well  worth  the  effort — just  such  an  effort, 
if  need  be!  Let  us  unite  and  fight  is  my  slogan! 
Let  us  neither  ask  nor  give  quarter.  It  must  be 
the  unconditional  surrender  of  the  dollar  hogs 
of  this  land  in  the  name  of  human  liberty,  free- 
dom, justice,  and  equality! 

If  we  had  a  real  democratic  government  we 
would  have  a  national  minimum  wage  law, 
though  it  took  a  revolution  to  get  it,  and  though 
every  document  from  the  Constitution  to  the  last 
act  of  Congress  had  to  be  overturned  in  getting 
it.  And  this  minimum  wage  should  be  placed 
so  high  that  these  slave-driving  dollar  hogs  would 
prefer  to  hire  men  once  more  rather  than  women 
and  children.  If  we  had  a  real  democratic  gov- 
ernment instead  of  a  subterfuge  government  we 


The  Contrast  81 

would  have  a  national  employment  law  which 
would  fix  the  age-limit  of  the  employment  of 
children  at  eighteen  years.  Then  we  would  have 
no  child  labor  anywhere.  Such  laws,  with  others 
supplementary,  would  automatically  emancipate 
from  their  inhuman  bondage  the  millions  of 
mothers,  wives,  children  (boys  and  girls)  and 
rehabilitate  the  vast  army  of  the  unemployed, 
the  husbands  and  fathers  in  our  midst,  at  just 
wages,  not  living  wages. 

That  term  "living  wage"  is  an  abomination  in 
the  sight  of  God  and  man,  for  the  head  of  the 
family  must  have  more  than  a  living  wage.  His 
old  age  and  sickness  must  be  provided  for  in 
his  wage  if  it  is  to  be  a  just  system,  and  none 
other  can  be  tolerated  in  a  free  land.  Every 
head  of  a  family  has  the  right  to  earn  a  wage 
sufficient  to  provide  for  the  ownership  of  a  com- 
fortable home  and  some  property.  How  can 
this  be  possible  on  the  "living  wage"  we  hear 
so  much  talk  about  by  seemingly  intelligent  per- 
sons. These  dollar  hogs  contend  even  now  that 
their  present  wages  are  living  wages,  and  can 
produce  thousands  of  so-called  economists  who 
will  prove  that  the  working  man  and  his  family 
can  live  on  the  wage  they  pay  by  eliminating 
most  meats  and  vegetables,  and  using  cheap  sub- 


82  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

stitutes  in  their  stead.  And  in  recent  years  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  has  been  guilty  of 
publishing  at  the  national  expense  countless  thou- 
sands of  pamphlets  devoted  to  that  very  philos- 
ophy of  the  dollar  hogs.  If  this  does  not  prove 
that,  in  recent  years,  the  government  has  been 
bedding  with  the  dollar  hogs,  then  I  am  no 
judge  of  evidence  or  of  human  nature.  In  the 
long  years  that  I  have  tarried  on  this  old  earth 
I  have  made  the  acquaintance  of  many  people, 
and  I  flatter  myself  that  I  have  learned  quite  a 
bit  by  mixing  with  them,  and  that  my  judgment 
of  such  facts  and  circumstances  has  rarely  been 
amiss. 

Men  who  labor  for  a  wage  are  entitled  to  a 
"just  wage,"  and  no  just  wage  can  ever  be  pos- 
sible while  the  laborer  is  not  in  a  position  to 
have  a  reasonable  voice  in  determining  what  that 
wage  must  be.  Consequently  the  government, 
his  creature  and  servant,  must  at  all  times  exert 
its  power  and  authority  to  prevent  an  unjust 
fixation  of  wages  in  every  industry.  Labor  in 
its  individual  character  being  the  weaker  should 
have  every  possible  safeguard  which  a  just  gov- 
ernment can  possibly  throw  about  it  to  prevent 
injustice  to  the  individual.  And  every  individual 
has  a  right  to  expect  this  of  his  government.  The 


The  Contrast  83 

government  in  a  free  country  belongs  to  no  one 
individual  any  more  than  to  another;  but  neces- 
sarily the  weaker  individual  has  a  greater  de- 
mand upon  its  protection  than  has  his  stronger 
brother,  the  employer,  who  always  has  a  superior 
point  of  vantage  and  means  for  his  own  protec- 
tion against  injustices. 

This  is  true  of  both  the  state  and  national 
governments,  but  in  the  present  crisis  it  would 
seem  that  only  the  national  government  can  give 
adequate  protection  to  the  wage  workers  of  the 
land,  the  very  existence  of  whose  integrity  and 
homes  is  now  at  stake  at  this  juncture  of  our 
national  life.  The  government  must  intervene, 
and  that  quickly,  if  justice  and  eternal  right  are 
to  prevail  without  an  appeal  to  arms,  that  final 
arbiter  of  every  just  cause  driven  to  the  wall  by 
injustice  and  human  greed  and  rapacity. 

I  feel  justified  in  saying  that  this  country  of 
ours  is  cursed  with  the  worst  lot  of  outlaws  who 
ever  drew  the  breath  of  life,  and  who  are  ten 
thousand  times  more  powerful  and  more  vicious 
than  the  gentry  for  whom  the  very  word  "out- 
law" was  coined  some  hundreds  of  years  ago. 
Their  willful  disregard  of  the  people's  rights 
and  laws  has  been  abundantly  proved  in  the 
highest  courts  of  the  land,  and  likewise  their 


84  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

willful  purpose  to  degrade  and  enslave  their 
employes.  Despite  these  facts  the  government 
has  taken  no  intelligent  action  to  safeguard  the 
masses  of  its  people  from  the  rapacities  of  these 
outlaw  dollar  hogs  who  are  destroying  the  homes 
of  the  land  and  reducing  the  wage  earner  to  the 
depths  of  the  most  awful  slavery  the  human  race 
has  ever  known,  and  this  hateful  condition  pre- 
vails in  a  land  which  has  for  more  than  a  century 
boasted  of  its  love  for  liberty,  justice,  and  equal- 
ity of  opportunity,  but  which  in  fact  has  never 
truly  existed.  It  is  high  time  to  make  these 
things  a  reality  though  it  should  take  a  sanguine 
revolution  to  accomplish  it.  Justice  must  and 
shall  prevail  at  any  cost.  No  subterfuges  nor 
compromises  shall  be  made. 

Every  compromise  with  black  slavery  was  a 
failure  and  of  short  duration,  and  it  had  to  be 
wiped  out  root  and  branch.  Nothing  less  than 
this  shall  be  the  solution  of  white  slavery.  It 
must  be  obliterated  wholly,  and  nothing  less  will 
be  accepted.  The  sooner  the  government  of  the 
people  announces  this  as  its  attitude  the  earlier 
will  this  result  be  accomplished.  If  it  will  not 
assume  this  attitude  then  a  bloody  conflict  is 
inevitable,  for  this  conflict  is  as  surely  an  irre- 
pressible one  as  was  the  conflict  over  black  slav- 


The  Contrast  85 

ery.  A  house  divided  against  itself  shall  not 
stand.  It  will  be  a  slave  nation  or  it  will  be  a 
free  nation.  It  shall  be  a  free  nation! 

But  he  who  thinks  that  this  will  come  to  pass 
by  dilatory  or  compromising  tactics  is  mistaken. 
Tariff  laws  and  money  laws  will  not  solve  the 
wage-slavery  system  of  the  dollar  hogs,  and  it 
is  idle  to  indulge  such  a  presumption.  Radical 
and  prompt  action  will  be  required  on  the  part 
of  the  government  to  avert  a  bloody  clash  in  the 
near  future  if  this  situation  is  not  squarely  met 
and  solved,  and  justice  assured  to  the  wage 
earners  of  the  nation  by  the  most  positive  laws. 

This  question  will  eventually  reach  every  home 
in  the  land.  The  farmers  are  furthest  removed 
from  it  at  present,  but  thousands  of  farm  boys 
and  girls  drift  into  the  cities  every  year,  lured 
by  the  unknown  life,  which  always  seems  most 
attractive  to  mortals.  In  a  little  while  they  be^ 
come  wage  slaves,  and  their  children  likewise; 
so  the  problem  is  only  a  short  remove  from  the 
most  protected  home  in  the  land,  the  farmer's 
fireside.  He  should  be  more  sympathetic  than 
he  has  been  in  the  past  if  he  is  to  be  just  to  his 
brethren  in  the  city,  who  are  struggling  as  never 
before  to  exist  under  the  most  trying  conditions 
without  resort  to  open  revolution. 


86  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

But  rest  assured  that  the  revolution  has  taken 
place  within  the  mind  of  the  individual,  for  such 
injustices  cannot  be  endured  without  the  keenest 
inward  defiance;  and  remember  that  there  is 
always  a  point  beyond  which  forbearance  ceases 
to  be  a  virtue.  A  straw  will  sometimes  constitute 
the  additional  weight  that  breaks  the  camel's 
back,  as  we  used  to  say  in  the  olden  times. 

And  it  is  well  to  remember  also  that  our  ladies 
are  making  a  strenuous  and  valiant  effort  to  win 
for  themselves  equal  rights  with  men  in  the 
exercise  of  the  ballot,  and  everything  tends  to 
indicate  their  ultimate  triumph.  God  speed  the 
day,  for  they  are  infinitely  better  qualified  to 
exercise  that  right  than  the  drunken  bums  in  the 
rotten  boroughs  of  our  great  cities,  the  ignorant 
negroes,  and  the  foreign  millions  from  Southern 
Europe,  who  know  little  of  our  history,  institu- 
tions, or  fundamental  principles  of  government, 
and  care  less.  It  has  been  maddening  to  me  to 
see  these  ignorant  incompetents  voting  at  all  elec- 
tions, while  our  intelligent  American  women  are 
denied  that  right  and  privilege. 

I  have  always  been  an  advocate  of  woman  suf- 
frage, and  believe  that  when  women  have  the 
right  to  vote  they  will  aid  immensely  in  wiping 
out  countless  evils  to  which  male  voters  seem 


The  Contrast  87 

brutally  obtuse.  Among  these  might  be  men- 
tioned the  saloon,  red  light  districts,  gaming  dens, 
and  why  not  the  white  slavery  of  women  and 
children,  and  every  other  great  problem  that 
confronts  us  at  the  present  time?  Because  of 
their  non-affiliation  with  factional  politics,  they 
ought  to  bring  to  the  consideration  of  these  mat- 
ters a  clear  and  unbiased  view  which  the  men 
have  not  done;  or  if  they  have,  they  have  not 
had  the  courage  of  their  convictions,  else  every 
one  of  these  problems  would  have  been  solved 
and  disposed  of  long  ago. 

Before  I  would  become  the  slave  of  these  out- 
laws and  traitors  who  dominate  the  country  at  the 
present  time  I  would  take  my  family  and  go  to 
the  vacant  lands  of  the  nation,  and  work  out  a 
different  existence.  I  believe  that  a  return  to 
the  soil  is  the  only  chance  the  poor  wage  slave 
of  today  and  his  children  have,  and  I  rejoice  in 
my  old  age  to  see  so  much  talk  in  the  newspapers 
and  magazines  about  the  return  to  the  country  as 
the  salvation  of  the  strugglers  of  the  city.  Let 
us  hope  that  it  will  bear  fruit  Let  us  hope  also 
that  the  conscience  of  the  nation  will  speedily 
awake  and  demand  laws  that  will  disfranchise 
and  expatriate  these  traitorous  outlaws  who  have 
debauched  the  government  of  our  sires  and  en- 


88  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

slaved  the  women  and  children  of  our  country; 
confiscate  their  ill-gotten  gains  to  the  state,  and 
ostracise  them  just  as  the  old  Greeks  did  such 
undesirables,  who  imagined  their  private  inter- 
ests were  of  greater  consequence  than  the  welfare 
of  the  state.  The  banishment  of  Napoleon  clipped 
his  wings  and  ended  his  exploitation  of  the 
peoples  of  Europe.  Why  not  clip  the  wings  of 
our  Napoleons  of  so-called  finance,  our  traitors 
to  free  republican  government?  These  men  are 
exploiting  this  nation,  and  robbing  our  sons  of 
their  rightful  and  equal  opportunity,  and  mak- 
ing them  slaves,  mere  hewers  of  wood  and  draw- 
ers of  water  for  their  enrichment;  and,  worse 
than  all  else,  making  them  moral  cowards  and 
possible  criminals.  For  such  outlaws  pay  starva- 
tion wages,  force  men  and  women  to  live  like 
the  pigs  and  brutes  of  the  field,  and  herd  together 
like  such  animals,  until  poverty,  misery,  ignor- 
ance, and  crime  are  their  inevitable  lot.  Men 
who  will  by  such  conduct  embrute  and  enslave 
their  fellows,  are  the  worst  criminals  who  have 
ever  trod  God's  footstool;  for  they  slay  by  the 
millions,  and  make  degenerate  our  whole  body 
politic.  They  import  millions  of  ignorant  for- 
eigners and  pay  them  a  pittance  to  work  under 
conditions  which  no  self  respecting  citizen  of 


The  Contrast  89 

the  republic  should  be  compelled  to  endure. 
They  rob  these  poor  ignorant  laborers  with  im- 
punity, and  our  government  stands  idly  by,  as 
though  impotent  to  lift  a  finger  to  prevent  the 
diabolical  swindle.  It  is  high  time  that  we 
arm  the  government  with  laws  which  will  put 
these  robbers  out  of  business  forever. 

There  are  plenty  of  men  in  this  broad  land 
of  ours  who  would  operate  their  business  affairs 
under  the  law,  and  respect  the  will  of  the  people 
as  expressed  in  their  laws,  if  given  the  oppor- 
tunity; but  such  men  have  no  opportunity  cr 
living  chance  under  present  conditions  in  com- 
petition with  these  outlaws.  When  did  honest 
men  ever  have  a  chance  with  outlaws?  So  long 
as  our  government  allows  these  robbers  to  dom- 
inate the  business  and  commerce  of  the  land  and 
to  retain  their  stolen  plunder,  so  long  will  honest 
men  be  the  easy  prey  of  such  villains. 

And  why  should  not  their  stolen  plunder  be 
confiscated?  It  has  been  established  beyond  con- 
troversy that  it  has  been  obtained  by  the  rob- 
bery of  untold  millions  of  laborers  living  and 
dead.  Individual  restitution  to  the  real  owners 
is  now  impossible,  but  that  does  not  justify  the 
retention  by  the  outlaws  of  their  ill-gotten  gains. 
In  the  case  of  lesser  criminals  convicted  of  such 


90  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

offenses,  the  stolen  goods  are  always  turned  over 
to  a  public  custodian,  and  are  eventually  confis- 
cated by  the  state,  or  government,  which  is  the 
instrument  of  the  people,  hence  for  the  people. 
Why  should  a  different  rule  prevail  in  dealing 
with  the  more  gigantic  and  more  heinous  offend- 
ers who  rob  everybody  with  impunity  every  hour 
of  the  day  and  night?  Under  such  conditions  it 
is  the  undoubted  right  and  duty  of  the  people 
and  their  government  to  confiscate  the  stolen 
property  of  the  most  criminal  outlaws  who  ever 
existed  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

The  time  is  fast  approaching  when  the  people 
will  realize  that  the  millions  which  these  outlaws 
have  piled  up  in  such  rich  quick  fashion  are 
morally  and  rightfully  the  savings  of  the  people, 
and  that  they  may  rightfully  lay  hands  upon  them 
and  claim  them  for  their  own.  If  we  can  justly 
and  lawfully  claim  a  portion  of  these  millions  by 
such  subterfuges  as  the  inheritance  and  income 
taxes,  then  we  may  by  the  same  process  of  reason- 
ing claim  more,  and  finally  may  have  the  manhood 
and  the  courage  to  come  out  boldly  into  the  open, 
and  claim  the  hoard  as  the  rightful  and  indis- 
putable savings  of  the  people,  who,  though  pre- 
vented by  robbery  from  placing  them  in  the 
bank  to  their  own  credit,  have  just  as  much  right 


The  Contrast  91 

to  claim  the  stolen  plunder  from  these  outlaws  as 
any  article  of  personal  property  recovered  from 
an  outlaw  thief.  Until  this  day  of  judgment  and 
of  justice  shall  arrive  let  us  return  to  the  country 
and  till  the  soil,  let  us  refuse  to  be  slaves! 

There  are  millions  of  broad  acres  of  the 
choicest  land  the  sun  ever  shone  upon  in  a 
dozen  states  of  this  nation,  unoccupied  and  fruit- 
less, waiting  for  the  starving,  downtrodden  wage 
slaves  of  the  cities  to  come  thither  and  be  happy 
and  free. 

Out  in  southern  Idaho  in  the  great  valley  of 
the  Snake  River,  a  few  brief  years  ago,  there 
were  a  million  acres  of  supposedly  desert  lands, 
covered  with  sage  brush;  lands  which  for  un- 
known ages  had  produced  nothing  of  value,  and 
which  even  the  rains  of  heaven  refused  to  bless 
by  their  downpour.  Through  the  midst  of  this 
desert  waste  flowed  the  great  river,  whose  course 
lay  through  deep  canyons  it  had  cut  in  ages  past, 
and  sometimes  over  great  precipices,  where  its 
rushing  waters  formed  stupendous  cataracts  sev- 
eral hundred  feet  high,  as  it  hurried  on  its  way 
to  the  sea.  But  neither  its  waters  nor  the  arid 
acres  of  its  great  valley  had  blessed  mankind 
since  the  day  of  their  creation. 

During  the  century  past  thousands  of  wander- 


92  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

ers  and  sightseers  came  and  went  without  so  much 
as  a  thought  of  the  possible  fertility  of  the  soil 
or  the  possible  utility  of  the  river  and  its  water- 
falls. They  did  not  even  dream  that  here  lay  a 
little  empire  richer  than  Egypt,  and  holding 
vaster  wealth  than  any  Golconda  or  Eldorado 
known  to  man.  But  finally  there  came  two  men, 
Hollister  and  Perrine,  who  gazed  upon  this  scene 
with  prophetic  vision.  As  they  stood  upon  the 
heights  overlooking  this  vista  of  nature's  wonder- 
land they  dreamed  a  dream.  They  beheld  in 
the  immediate  future  a  picture  from  which  all 
this  stern  hardness  and  barrenness,  this  desola- 
tion and  waste  both  of  land  and  water  has  dis- 
appeared, for  in  its  stead,  upon  the  canvas  of  the 
mind,  silently  and  swiftly  had  stolen  the  outlines 
of  an  Eden  of  loveliness  in  which  these  broad 
acres  blossomed  as  the  rose,  and  these  stupendous 
waterfalls,  harnessed  by  the  ingenuity  of  man, 
pumped  the  life-giving  waters  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  this  erstwhile  barren 
valley,  and  as  it  did  all  this  it  generated  light, 
heat,  and  power  to  serve  scores  of  towns  and 
cities  which  here  and  there  sprang  into  life  and 
action  as  if  by  obedience  to  some  magician's 
wand.  Railways  and  roads  threaded  the  land- 
scape as  they  peered  into  the  vista  before  them; 


The  Contrast  93 

and  thousands  of  busy  people  appeared  upon  the 
plains  and  peopled  the  towns  and  cities,  and 
as  they  toiled  bounteous  harvests  made  them 
happy  and  glad,  and  they  rejoiced  that  good 
angels  had  led  them  to  this  modern  land  of 
Canaan. 

It  was  but  a  dream,  but  these  dreamers  wrought 
as  well  as  dreamed;  and  today  this  valley  in  their 
hands  has  developed  into  one  of  the  garden  spots 
of  the  world,  in  fact,  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
world!  In  every  particular  and  feature  their 
work  has  exceeded  the  promise  of  the  pictured 
loveliness  which  they  beheld  that  day  upon  the 
heights  of  Shoshone  and  Twin  Falls.  These 
pioneers  of  industry  have  wrought  more  good  to 
humanity  than  all  the  missionaries  who  ever  lived, 
and  in  time  to  come  they  will  be  hailed  as  greater 
heroes  than  Alexander,  Caesar,  or  Napoleon, 
for  they  came  to  build  and  to  give,  while  the 
latter  came  to  destroy  and  exploit  mankind. 

In  many  other  states  lie  millions  of  acres  of 
land  ready  for  the  plowshare,  but  no  man's  hand 
comes  to  reclaim  it  and  husband  its  fruitfulness. 
In  the  empire  of  the  great  state  of  Texas  alone, 
bigger  than  the  great  empire  of  Germany  and 
the  states  of  Illinois  and  Indiana  combined,  are 
millions  of  acres  beckoning  the  hungry  wage 


94  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

slaves  of  the  cities  to  come  and  labor  not  in  vain. 
And  the  day  is  not  far  distant,  in  my  humble 
judgment,  when  this  government  of  ours  will 
awake  to  its  duty  to  stake  these  people  for  a 
start  upon  these  lands,  as  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment is  now  doing  for  every  emigrant  who  needs 
its  aid  to  build  up  a  home  on  the  uninhabited 
acres  of  that  great  domain. 

Some  of  our  wise  men  for  years  have  laughed 
to  scorn  the  idea  of  government  loans  upon  farm 
lands,  yet  at  the  same  time  every  great  life  insur- 
ance company  in  the  land  has  been  putting  out 
its*  surplus  millions  in  mortgages  on  the  lands 
of  the  farmers.  But  their  terms  and  time  limits 
have  been  unfavorable  to  the  borrowers,  and  our 
government  can  obviate  this  evil  just  as  many 
of  the  European  countries  have  done  for  years. 
The  wage  slaves  of  the  cities  will  desert  their 
slave  pens  if  the  government  will  but  lend  them 
a  helping  hand.  Whose  government?  The  answer 
ought  to  be,  "their  government!"  The  govern- 
ment has  always  staked  the  bankers  and  the  rail- 
roads, and  it  is  high  time  that  we  had  a  change 
of  the  program.  Let  us  have  a  new  beneficiary. 
Suppose  we  let  the  bankers  and  the  rail  men 
paddle  their  own  canoe  for  awhile  and  really 
demonstrate  that  they  have  brains  enough  to 


The  Contrast  95 

make  their  enterprises  pay  without  government 
aid.  If  they  fail  in  the  effort,  then  let  the  gov- 
ernment take  over  these  institutions  and  enter- 
prises, as  they  really  ought  to  do  anyhow,  as  well 
as  all  other  great  natural  monopolies  and  quasi- 
public  enterprises  for  the  protection  of  the  people 
of  the  nation,  and  for  the  common  weal. 

I  never  know  when  to  stop  when  I  begin  to 
talk  about  the  dollar  hogs  and  the  industrial  and 
other  evils  of  our  day;  but  having  had  my  say 
I  will  resume,  if  you  like,  the  story  of  my  life. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  WILD  WEST 

When  I  had  passed  my  eighteenth  year  I  met 
a  man  from  New  York  State  by  the  name  of 
Cameron,  who  owned  a  lot  of  timber  land  in 
our  vicinity.  I  entered  into  a  contract  with  him 
to  cut  this  timber  into  logs.  This  was  my  first 
business  venture.  We  estimated  the  timber  at 
three  million  feet.  I  immediately  bought  teams 
and  horses,  and  hired  quite  a  force  of  men  and 
Indians  and  went  to  work.  By  the  next  Spring 
I  had  all  of  the  logs  in  the  river  and  rafted 
them  down  to  the  mill,  which  I  started  under 
another  contract  with  Cameron  to  saw  up  all  of 
this  timber.  This  contract  I  completed  within 
two  years,  and  then  sold  the  mill  to  Cameron. 
During  this  time  I  had  at  all  times  from  forty 
to  fifty  employes.  During  the  last  year  of  this 
time  I  got  a  contract  to  build  a  tug  boat,  a 
schooner,  and  a  large  steam  barge,  all  of  which 
I  built  and  floated  in  splendid  shape,  and  felt 
that  I  had  then  learned  something  not  only  of 
lumbering  but  of  ship  building  as  well.  I  had 
also  accumulated  about  ten  thousand  dollars' 


The  Wild  West  97 

worth  of  property,  and  had  married  a  very  charm- 
ing young  lady  in  the  meantime;  but  she  later 
proved  to  be  more  of  a  charmer  than  a  lady, 
as  I  found  to  my  sorrow. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  I  was  attacked  with  a 
virulent  type  of  what  was  popularly  known  as 
the  "Western  fever"  and  speedily  succumbed 
thereto.  Two  neighboring  gentlemen,  Wesley 
Crawford  and  George  Babcock,  also  fell  victims 
to  the  same  disease.  As  a  result  we  soon  set  to 
work  and  constructed  our  own  original  "prairie 
schooners."  These  were  made  throughout  of 
first-class  material,  well  seasoned  and  built  to 
endure.  The  upper  part  was  a  perfect  little 
house  built  of  light  basswood,  or  linden,  with 
doors  and  glass  windows,  the  whole  gaudily 
painted  and  thoroughly  waterproof.  It  was  four- 
teen feet  in  length  and,  set  upon  strong  springs, 
it  made  a  very  light,  cozy  and  comfortable  refuge 
in  all  kinds  of  ugly  weather.  We  each  bought 
a  team  of  Canadian  Indian  horses,  the  toughest 
article  in  horse  flesh  that  ever  served  human 
kind,  and  after  laying  in  all  needed  supplies, 
about  the  middle  of  the  summer,  accompanied 
by  our  wives,  we  started  on  our  overland  trip  to 
the  beautiful  West,  concerning  which  we  had 
read  so  much  that  life  in  Michigan  seemed  dull 


98  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

and  commonplace  beside  it,  and  scarcely  worth 
the  living. 

When  I  said  "overland  trip,"  I  did  so  advis- 
edly, for  there  was  no  other  available  way  at 
that  particular  time.  There  were  no  railroads 
traversing  the  great  Western  plains  and  across 
the  mountains  into  the  land  of  golden  California 
at  that  period  of  our  history.  Flying  machines 
had  not  even  been  dreamed  of  so  far  as  I  know, 
and  we  would  have  welcomed  even  a  trail  when 
we  got  to  the  real  "wild  and  woolly"  part  of 
this  great  journey.  For  the  greater  part  of  the 
journey  it  was  indeed  a  trackless  and  unbeaten 
way,  with  the  compass  and  the  streams  as  our 
only  guides.  Bridges  were  an  absent  convenience, 
and  a  good  fording  place  was  all  that  we  ever 
hoped  to  find;  but  our  hopes  were  usually  des- 
tined to  disappointment. 

After  crossing  the  Mississippi  on  a  flatboat 
and  reaching  the  northern  part  of  Kansas  we 
rarely  saw  a  human  being,  and  the  few  we  met 
did  not  hold  out  pleasant  prospects  to  us  when 
they  learned  that  our  destination  was  the  mining 
camp  called  Denver.  The  savage  Indians  of  the 
plains,  we  were  told,  were  masters  of  all  the 
country  we  were  to  traverse,  and  likely  to  anni- 
hilate us  any  fine  evening  they  might  fall  upon 


The  Wild  West  99 

us.  Their  favorite  hours  of  activity  were  those 
known  as  the  dreamland  hours,  in  which  the 
tomahawk  and  the  scalping  knife  played  a  prom- 
inent part.  It  was  not  a  pleasant  thing  to  con- 
template, and  the  fact  is  we  didn't  stop  to 
ruminate;  we  just  pushed  boldly  on,  ready  and 
willing  to  take  our  chances.  Every  day  we 
found  changing  scenes  and  new  experiences  in 
abundance. 

But  before  we  get  deep  into  these  experiences 
let  us  take  a  look  at  the  earlier  stages  of  our 
route. 

We  traveled  via  Saginaw,  Lansing,  Niles,  Val- 
paraiso, Indiana,  Blue  Island,  Chicago,  Wil- 
mington, Streator  to  Quincy  on  the  banks  of  the 
Mississippi — the  Father  of  Waters,  which  the 
genius  of  man  at  that  hour  had  not  bridged. 

Let  us  pause,  however,  for  a  short  while  and 
recall  the  passage  of  our  caravan  through  Chi- 
cago, which  was  not  yet  the  metropolis  of  the 
West. 

We  came  into  Chicago  on  the  Blue  Island 
road,  then  a  mere  trail  through  the  wet,  swampy 
country.  Chicago  at  that  time  extended  south 
no  further  than  Lake  Street.  This  street  ran  west 
to  the  river,  and  an  old  scow  carried  one  across 
to  the  west  side  of  the  river,  where  the  street 


100  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

continued  for  some  distance.  Wabash  and  Mich- 
igan Avenues  were  virtually  nothing  but  sand 
roads.  There  were  a  few  houses  around  Fort 
Dearborn,  an  old  log  fort  at  Rush  Street  and 
the  river.  On  the  north  side  of  the  river  at 
Rush  Street  there  was  a  boarding  house  kept  by 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Kinzie,  and  along  the 
Lake  and  Chicago  River  north  of  the  Kinzie 
home  there  were  a  lot  of  shanties  of  persons 
chiefly  engaged  in  fishing.  There  were  no  streets 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river  at  that  time. 

On  each  side  of  River  Street  there  were  a  few 
buildings.  Near  Rush  there  were  several  small 
stores  and  boarding  houses.  On  the  east  end  of 
what  is  now  known  as  Water  Street  there  was 
a  lumber  yard  on  the  north  side  of  the  street, 
and  on  the  south  side  of  the  street  there  were 
some  small  stores  and  offices.  There  were  no 
docks  or  wharves,  and  no  bridges ;  there  was  only 
an  old  flatboat  which  was  pushed  across  the 
river  with  poles.  There  was  about  as  much 
of  a  town  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  as  on  the 
east  side.  Canal  and  Lake  Streets  had  a  shanty 
town  appearance.  The  trade  was  mostly  a  schooner 
trade  in  lumber  from  the  lakes.  There  were  a 
few  plank  sidewalks  in  front  of  business  buildings, 
but  the  streets  were  pure  sand  and  dirt. 


The  Wild  West  101 

At  the  river  just  east  of  where  State  Street  is 
now,  there  was  a  sort  of  an  old  freight  depot 
where  the  canal  boats  plying  to  and  from  St. 
Louis  loaded  and  unloaded.  This  was  the  nearest 
approach  to  a  dock. 

Chicago  was  a  most  unpromising  prospect,  and 
we  tarried  there  only  about  twenty-four  hours, 
staying  in  the  city  over  night,  however.  We 
were  obliged  to  retrace  the  road  to  Blue  Island 
to  get  out  of  the  place  and  on  our  road  to 
Wilmington,  and  thence  to  Quincy  by  the  route 
before  stated.  If  there  were  any  Leiters,  Gages, 
Fields,  Pullmans,  Armours,  Cudahys,  Palmers, 
or  other  millionaries  in  Chicago  at  that  time 
they  were  mighty  small  potatoes,  and  no  palaces 
of  brick,  stone,  or  Italian  marble  betokened  their 
presence  to  the  wandering  stranger  from  abroad. 
From  what  we  knew  of  them  later  they  were  all 
at  this  time  clerks  on  peanut  salaries.  Their 
wealth  was  amassed  after  the  Chicago  fire,  which 
catastrophe,  we  are  informed,  played  an  import- 
ant part,  a  fact  not  hitherto  generally  known,  or 
at  least  not  widely  circulated. 

Kankakee  was  at  that  time  three  times  as  large 
as  Chicago.  In  fact,  all  of  the  cities  of  Illinois 
that  we  passed  through  were  small  towns.  Wil- 
mington had  a  population  of  nearly  three  hun- 


102  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

dred;  Streator  about  fifty  to  sixty,  and  Quincy 
nearly  five  hundred.  A  wild  prairie  extended 
from  Streator  to  Quincy.  From  there  we  crossed 
over  the  Mississippi  into  Missouri.  Macon  was 
a  town  of  fifty  inhabitants.  St.  Joseph  on  the 
Missouri  River,  contained  about  five  hundred. 
There  was  a  freight  route  overland  from  there 
to  Salt  Lake  City.  There  was  also  another  route 
farther  north  from  Council  Bluffs ;  but  both  took 
the  Platte  River  finally  as  their  guide  farther 
West.  At  that  time  St.  Joseph  was  ihe  jumping- 
off  place  of  civilization,  and  was  the  frontier 
town  of  the  West.  There  was  no  cattle  herding 
beyond  this  place,  and  none  west  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  on  which  it  was  located.  We  saw  a 
small  herd  of  Indian  ponies,  called  "calico  horses" 
because  they  were  all  spotted,  west  of  the  Solo- 
mon River,  and  they  were  as  wild  as  deer. 

The  only  white  people  we  saw  west  of  St. 
Joseph  were  at  what  is  now  known  as  the  city 
of  Marysville,  Kansas;  at  that  time  it  was  only 
a  spot  on  the  prairie.  An  old  man  had  squatted 
there  and  cut  some  prairie  hay.  We  bought  some 
of  it  for  our  horses,  our  supply  having  been 
exhausted  just  before  we  reached  that  point. 
Here  we  found  two  other  families  westward 
bound  who  were  stranded  there  with  their  prairie 


The  Wild  West  103 

schooners.  They  had  killed  some  buffalo  and 
stretched  and  dried  their  hides,  with  which  they 
had  covered  some  shack  houses  they  had  erected 
for  temporary  homes.  It  was  a  desolate  looking 
sight,  and  we  did  not  tarry  long  with  these  deni- 
zens of  the  plains. 

Pushing  ahead  we  soon  reached  the  forks  of 
the  Blue  River  not  many  miles  west  of  Marys- 
ville,  and  just  before  we  reached  this  junction 
of  rivers  we  ran  into  the  buffalo  and  killed  our 
first  specimen.  We  greatly  enjoyed  our  first  taste 
of  buffalo  steaks  and  roasts.  After  leaving 
Marysville  we  did  not  see  a  white  face  for  more 
than  six  hundred  miles.  Some  forty  miles  west 
of  the  forks  of  the  Blue  River  we  came  to  the 
Republican  River,  a  very  large  stream,  which  we 
crossed.  Here  we  found  one  of  the  most  singular 
wonders  of  the  world — a  mound  of  pure  white 
chalk  fully  three  hundred  feet  long,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  wide,  and  the  same  in  height,  which 
lay  on  the  very  top  of  a  steep  alkali  ridge.  This 
marvelous  natural  monument  could  be  seen  on 
the  naked  prairie  for  miles  around,  and  was 
much  used  by  the  Indians  as  a  sentinel  rock. 
Later  it  was  cut  into  blocks  by  settlers  and  used 
in  building  houses,  much  as  blocks  of  terra  cotta 
are  used. 


104  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

From  this  elevation  we  saw  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  sights  that  the  eye  of  man  ever  beheld. 
Scattered  over  thousands  of  acres  for  miles 
around,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see  to  the  west- 
ward, we  beheld  the  greatest  herd  of  buffalo 
which  probably  ever  existed  in  the  history  of 
the  world.  The  Indians  estimated  their  number 
at  three  million  head,  and  the  plains  were  black 
with  them.  Here  the  animals  came  to  the  river 
for  drink,  and  the  places  where  they  entered  the 
river  were  called  "buffalo  wallows."  These  were 
at  least  three  hundred  feet  wide,  and  half  a  mile 
long.  All  about  these  wallows  were  lying  hun- 
dreds of  car  loads  of  bones,  being  the  skeletons  of 
buffalo  which  had  floundered  in  the  mud  and 
died  there. 

At  this  spot  we  came  into  contact  with  two 
Indian  tribes,  the  first  we  encountered  on  the 
trip.  They  were  living  on  the  buffalo  herd,  and 
following  them  as  they  shifted  from  the  Dakotas 
to  the  Indian  Territory,  or  "Indian  Nation"  as 
it  was  called  at  that  time. 

These  tribes  were  fighting  each  other  for  the 
ownership  and  control  of  this  great  herd  of 
buffalo.  They  were  the  first  real  "cattle  kings" 
of  the  plains.  They  were  on  the  scene  long  before 
the  more  cowardly  and  cunning  Armours,  Swifts, 


The  Wild  West  105 

Cudahys,  Morrises,  and  Valentines  had  got  into 
the  game,  and  long  before  the  "Texas  steer" 
came  into  prominence. 

When  we  saw  the  smoke  of  the  Indian  village 
on  the  horizon,  and  knew  to  a  certainty  that  it 
was  indeed  an  Indian  village,  we  thought  we 
had  surely  met  our  doom,  owing  to  what  we  had 
heard  from  the  denizens  of  St.  Joseph  and  that 
vicinity  of  the  hostile  character  of  the  Indians 
of  the  West.  But  we  knew  something  of  Indian 
character  and  habits;  so  drove  straight  into  their 
village  without  a  halt  after  we  had  started,  and 
into  the  very  midst  of  their  tepees,  where  we 
saw  only  squaws  and  children.  We  learned 
afterward  that  the  braves  had  seen  our  flashily 
painted  red  wagons  miles  away,  and,  not  knowing 
the  character  of  our  invasion,  nor  our  numbers 
and  strength,  had  fled  to  the  tall  reed  grasses 
and  there  secreted  themselves  until  they  were  fully 
advised  on  these  matters  by  the  squaws,  who  crept 
out  to  them  after  we  came  into  camp. 

Crawford  and  Babcock  could  speak  the  Indian 
language  very  fluently,  and  I  knew  quite  a  smat- 
tering of  it  myself,  so  they  immediately  saluted 
the  squaw  contingent,  and  asked  them  where 
their  husbands  were,  thereby  greatly  surprising 
them.  The  Indian  ladies  craftily  replied  that 


106  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

they  had  gone  out  to  bring  in  buffalo,  which  was 
a  fabrication  made  out  of  whole  cloth.  As  it 
was  then  evening  we  unhitched  our  horses  and 
turned  our  wagons  around  so  that  they  formed  a 
triangle,  with  the  horses  inside  the  triangle,  as 
we  always  did  at  night  for  safety.  We  could 
not  afford  to  take  any  chances  of  our  horses  being 
stolen  or  straying  away,  for  we  could  not  in  that 
country  replace  the  loss  of  a  single  one. 

The  squaws  at  this  juncture,  perceiving  that  we 
intended  camping  there  for  the  night,  unknown 
to  us  dispatched  some  of  their  number  to  the 
hiding  places  of  the  braves,  who  thereupon  came 
stealing  into  camp  one  by  one,  until  there  were 
more  than  three  hundred  of  them  in  the  village. 
As  the  first  one  came  in  Crawford  talked  to  him, 
and  told  him  that  we  had  come  from  Michigan 
and  knew  all  of  the  big  chiefs  of  that  country, 
Pokhagon,  Dutton  and  Kayak,  and  that  we  were 
friends  on  our  way  to  the  mining  camp  of  Denver. 
They  were  much  pleased  to  have  news  from  their 
kindred  in  Michigan,  and,  in  fact,  were  so 
friendly  that  we  tarried  with  them  two  days. 
They  offered  us  buffalo  meat  and  such  supplies 
as  they  had;  but  as  we  had  killed  a  buffalo  our- 
selves just  before  sighting  their  camp,  we  were 
well  supplied.  This  fact  we  proved  to  them  in 


The  Wild  West  107 

order  that  they  might  thoroughly  understand  that 
we  were  not  in  need  of  their  hospitality,  and  that 
our  declination  of  help  was  due  to  that  fact 
alone.  All  were  so  interested  the  first  night 
of  our  stay  with  them,  that  we  remained  up 
nearly  all  night,  talking  and  smoking  around  an 
enormous  campfire. 

They  were  greatly  interested  in  inspecting  our 
rifles,  which  were  of  the  latest  pattern  (the  Henry 
rifle),  the  only  magazine  gun  made  in  that  day. 
The  guns  held  eight  cartridges,  and  cost  us  a 
hundred  dollars  apiece.  The  Indians  marveled 
at  this  capacity  for  repeated  action.  They  also 
examined  our  wagons  minutely  and  with  the 
deepest  curiosity  manifest  in  their  manner  and 
countenances,  for  they  had  never  seen  any  wagons 
of  that  particular  style  or  construction. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  after  bidding 
our  hosts  a  friendly  farewell,  we  proceeded  on 
our  journey,  and  after  two  days'  travel  to  the 
westward  struck  the  Solomon  River,  a  very  large 
and  beautiful  stream  in  those  days.  Here  we 
encountered  the  other  tribe  of  Indians  who  were 
fighting  for  the  supremacy  over  this  great  herd 
of  buffalo.  They  were  as  much  surprised  at  our 
appearance  on  the  scene  as  the  first  tribe  had 
been  on  seeing  our  gaudy  wagons  approaching 


108  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

their  rendezvous.  Their  braves  likewise  hid  in 
the  sage  brush  along  the  flats  of  the  river,  but 
emerged  when  we  made  friendly  overtures,  and 
were  particularly  cordial  when  they  learned  of 
our  peaceful  mission.  They  took  much  interest 
in  our  welfare,  and  we  stayed  with  them  for 
two  days,  during  which  time  we  obtained  much 
valuable  information. 

We  especially  wished  to  know  how  to  cross 
the  Solomon  River,  and  the  route  which  we 
should  take  and  follow  after  crossing  in  order 
to  strike  the  Platte  River  at  the  proper  point  to 
reach  Denver  by  the  shortest  route.  We  took 
a  piece  of  rough  paper  and  made  a  general  out- 
line, explaining  our  wishes;  and  these  Indians 
marked  out  very  accurately  the  desired  route  and 
fords.  Afterward  we  found  them  correct  in 
every  particular,  and  had  no  trouble  in  keeping 
the  route. 

At  this  period  we  had  used  up  all  of  the  prairie 
hay  we  had  bought  from  the  old  squatter  at 
Marysville,  and  were  now  obliged  to  stop  each 
evening  before  sundown  and  unhitch  our  horses, 
in  order  to  let  them  graze  on  the  buffalo  grass, 
which  at  that  time  was  already  bitten  by  the  frost. 
We  still  had  some  corn,  but  horses  cannot  live 
on  corn  alone  and  prosper. 


The  Wild  West  109 

I  have  spoken  of  fording  the  rivers  all  along 
the  route,  the  largest  in  the  West,  but  did  not 
describe  the  process  by  which  we  accomplished 
that  difficult  and  dangerous  feat. 

On  approaching  a  river  we  would  unhitch  the 
horses  and  ride  up  and  down  the  banks  until 
we  selected  what  appeared  to  be  the  most  favor- 
able place  for  our  ford,  and  then  we  would  ride 
our  horses  into  the  stream  and  try  out  the  situa- 
tion before  attempting  to  make  it  with  our 
wagons.  When  we  had  found  a  spot  which 
proved  satisfactory  to  our  ideas  of  safety,  we 
would  recross  the  river  and,  while  resting  our 
horses,  prepare  for  the  fording  of  the  stream. 
We  first  cut  down  good-sized  saplings,  from 
which  we  made  poles  nearly  six  inches  in  diam- 
eter and  about  fifteen  feet  long.  These  we  tied 
one  on  each  side  of  our  wagons,  making  them 
fast  to  the  wheels  near  the  hub  and  axle.  These 
logs  would  help  float  the  wagons,  and  kept  them 
headed  straight  as  well,  because  the  running  gears 
couldn't  veer  around  as  they  do  on  land. 

We  also  cut  smaller  poles  and  tied  them  on 
either  side  of  the  horses,  much  after  the  style 
of  shafts  on  buggies.  These  prevented  the  horses 
from  breaking  loose  and  being  swept  away  by 
the  swift  currents.  After  all  this  had  been  done 


110  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

to  our  satisfaction,  we  would  hitch  up  the  horses 
and  push  carefully  across  to  the  other  shore.  We 
did  not  lose  a  horse,  nor  have  a  mishap  at  any  of 
these  fordings.  Think  of  our  ladies  sitting  in 
these  wagons  through  such  a  thrilling  experience, 
and  then  reflect  upon  the  courage  of  womankind, 
and  especially  the  pioneer  women  of  America! 
The  world  can  boast  of  none  to  match  them. 

But  there  were  other  experiences  to  face  which 
wrere  more  difficult  to  solve  than  the  fording  of 
streams  when  we  reached  the  mountainous  country 
in  the  midst  of  winter.  We  often  came  to  big 
gulches  which  were  surrounded  on  either  side 
by  steep  alkali  ridges.  On  one  side  or  the  other 
snow  had  always  slipped  off  into  the  gulch  below, 
leaving  a  slippery  declivity  which  could  not  be 
negotiated  by  the  usual  mode  of  travel.  In  such 
cases  we  were  obliged  to  fasten  a  rope  to  a 
wagon,  and  after  passing  the  rope  around  a  tree 
for  a  pulley,  we  would  descend  into  the  gulch 
below  and  let  the  wagon  follow  at  whatever  speed 
we  desired  until  the  bottom  was  reached.  When 
we  wished  to  get  it  up  the  other  side  of  the 
gulch  and  over  the  alkali  ridge,  we  would  pass 
the  rope  around  some  tree  at  the  top  of  the  ridge 
and,  with  aid  of  the  horses,  pull  the  wagon  up. 
During  our  entire  trip,  which  extended  to  the 


The  Wild  West  111 

Rio  Grande  River  and  back  home  again,  we  did 
not  have  a  serious  mishap  with  our  wagons,  and, 
almost  incredible  to  relate,  not  a  single  pane  of 
glass  was  broken. 

In  crossing  the  plains  we  encountered  deer, 
elk,  and  antelope  quite  frequently,  and  we  could 
on  such  occasions  see  from  fifteen  to  forty  of  these 
creatures  flocking  and  feeding  together.  We 
always  found  them  along  the  streams  where  there 
were  good  grass  and  browse  for  them  to  feed 
upon.  Prairie  wolves  and  coyotes  were  so  numer- 
ous that  almost  every  night,  judging  from  the 
noise  they  made,  one  would  think  that  our  horses 
would  surely  be  devoured;  but  they  were  always 
inside  the  little  triangular  wagon  corral,  and  were 
perfectly  safe. 

We  had  a  big  yellow  dog  with  us,  whose  name 
was  "Jack":  he  was  a  mixture  of  two  famous 
breeds,  Newfoundland  and  bulldog;  a  strange 
combination  indeed,  but  lacking  nothing  in  cour- 
age and  fighting  propensity.  Jack  was  brave 
and  irrepressible,  and  was  never  defeated  nor 
scared  off  on  but  one  occasion.  One  day  he  saw 
a  big  prairie  wolf  sitting  on  the  brow  of  a  high 
ridge,  and  at  once  dashed  at  him  with  great 
speed;  but  the  wolf  never  moved  a  muscle  until 
Jack  attacked  him.  The  conflict  was  very  brief. 


112  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

There  was  just  one  round,  and  Jack  came  flying 
back  to  the  wagons  entirely  minus  his  fighting 
spirit.  The  long,  sharp  teeth  and  slashing  cuts 
of  Mr.  Wolf  had  satisfied  him  in  short  order; 
he  had  more  than  a  plenty.  But  Jack  never  de- 
serted his  post  of  duty  under  the  wagons.  When 
they  attacked  him  there  he  held  the  fort  and 
never  was  defeated.  They  could  not  get  in  his 
rear  there,  and  when  he  could  have  a  square  face- 
to-face  fight,  he  more  than  held  his  own,  for  he 
was  an  enormous  fellow  and  a  vicious  fighter. 
By  the  time  Jack  had  finished  the  trip  with  us 
his  hide  was  well  marked  by  the  scars  of  many  a 
well-fought  battle  with  all  manner  of  Western 
denizens. 

Grouse,  partridges,  quail,  and  prairie  chickens 
abounded  in  great  numbers;  the  three  former 
always  along  timbered  streams,  and  prairie  chick- 
ens in  the  open.  We  always  managed  to  get  our 
share  of  them.  They  were  certainly  delicious 
eating,  and  the  hunting  of  them  whiled  away 
the  tedium  of  many  an  hour. 

Rattlesnakes,  owls,  and  prairie  dogs  were  very 
common  acquaintances,  and  so  friendly,  agree- 
able, and  compatible  in  disposition  that  very  often 
we  found  them  occupying  the  same  hole  in  the 
ground. 


The  Wild  West  113 

Villages  of  prairie  dogs  were  often  seen  which 
covered  enormous  expanses  of  territory,  and  were 
inhabited  by  millions  of  residents.  They  were 
the  founders  of  the  first  metropolitan  cities  of 
the  West;  at  least  the  only  cities  that  could  boast 
of  their  millions  of  inhabitants. 

At  the  time  we  reached  Denver,  it  was  a  small 
mining  camp  of  not  more  than  twenty-five  people, 
all  miners.  There  was  not  a  woman  in  the 
camp.  There  were  no  buildings  but  "dug-outs" 
and  "shacks,"  and  everybody  was  engaged  in  gold 
mining  with  the  pick  and  shovel.  The  miners 
were  much  surprised  at  our  arrival,  but  more 
surprised  that  we  should  bring  our  wives  on  such 
a  trip.  The  little  mining  camp  surely  gave  no 
promise  of  becoming  the  greatest  inland  mountain 
city  of  the  world.  It  was,  however,  most  beauti- 
fully situated  on  a  splendid  plateau,  and  Pike's 
Peak,  towering  over  all,  loomed  up  like  a  grand 
sentinel  in  the  cloudy  distance.  The  sunrise  and 
sunset  were  the  most  magnificent  I  had  ever 
seen. 

We  stayed  there  only  two  days,  and  then  moved 
on  toward  Canyon  City,  about  a  hundred  miles 
to  the  southward.  We  passed  through  a  rolling 
broken  country  covered  with  hazel  and  sage 
brush,  which  presented  no  charms  to  induce  us 


114  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

to  tarry  by  the  way.  As  we  neared  Canyon  City 
the  cactus  was  everywhere  in  evidence.  Canyon 
City  was  also  a  mining  camp  of  about  forty  or 
fifty  people,  and  conditions  were  much  like  those 
in  Denver.  There  were,  however,  seven  or  eight 
ladies  resident  there.  About  half  the  population 
was  Mexican,  the  first  we  had  seen  on  the  trip. 

This  little  mining  camp  had  no  attractions  save 
for  those  intoxicated  with  the  "gold  fever,"  so 
we  remained  there  only  a  couple  of  days,  and 
then  proceeded  down  a  tributary  of  the  Rio 
Grande  to  the  Llano  Estacado,  or  "Staked 
Plains,"  passing  through  a  part  of  the  Indian 
Territory  and  on  into  the  state  of  Texas;  but  at 
that  time  we  had  no  exact  knowledge  of  state  or 
territorial  lines.  That  we  learned  later.  We 
traveled  through  the  Staked  Plains  for  fully  three 
hundred  miles.  On  the  way  down  we  saw  several 
scattered  bands  of  Indians  and  Mexicans,  of 
which  we  will  speak  later  on. 

This  part  of  the  trip  southward  was  the  most 
arduous  of  the  entire  journey.  The  levels  of  land 
were  constantly  changing  and  lowering,  and  we 
would  travel  apparently  only  a  few  miles  on  a 
continuous  level,  when  we  would  come  to  an 
abrupt  break  or  declivity  of  perhaps  a  hundred 
feet.  Then  we  would  have  to  search  around  for 


The  Wild  West  115 

a  gully  which  would  let  us  down  to  the  next 
level.  This  usually  caused  us  to  retrace  our 
way  over  quite  a  bit  of  ground,  until  we  could 
get  into  the  head  of  the  gully  and  on  the  down 
grade.  This  performance  was  kept  up  for  three 
hundred  miles,  until  we  struck  the  Staked  Plains. 

This  journey,  however,  was  enlivened  by  the 
presence  of  splendid  hunting  and  plenty  of  game. 
Mountain  lions,  wolves,  deer,  antelope,  wild  tur- 
keys and  grouse  were  abundant,  and  we  feasted 
like  kings  on  the  best  that  nature  affords,  and 
had  plenty  of  excitement  as  well.  The  first 
mountain  lion  we  ran  across  was  lying  spread 
out  upon  a  big  limb  of  a  giant  oak  tree,  which 
stood  on  the  summit  of  a  rocky  hill.  A  shot  from 
my  rifle  dropped  him  to  the  ground,  where  Jack 
soon  finished  him;  but  he  did  not  have  much 
of  a  job,  for  the  rifle  ball  had  penetrated  the 
lion's  brain  and  made  any  intelligent  action  on 
his  part  impossible.  His  struggling  and  clawing 
were  all  spasmodic.  He  was  a  magnificent  speci- 
men of  his  kind,  and  I  soon  had  his  hide  stretched 
and  drying  on  one  side  of  my  wagon.  Then  we 
journeyed  on. 

We  saw  some  of  the  finest  country  it  had  ever 
been  our  pleasure  to  look  upon  in  the  "Staked 
Plain,"  but  it  was  devoid  of  water,  except  for 


116  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

"gyp  springs,"  which  appeared  at  long  intervals. 
Some  of  these  springs  were  from  four  to  ten 
rods  across,  and  miry  and  swampy  in  character, 
with  the  water  just  oozing  out  of  the  ground. 
The  entire  surface  covered  by  a  spring  would  be 
literally  filled  with  the  bones  of  buffalo  and  other 
animals,  which  had  come  there  in  great  numbers 
for  drink  and,  being  weak  from  long  travel  and 
thirst,  had  got  into  the  mire  and  were  too  weak 
to  get  out.  At  others  there  were  great  "buffalo 
wallows." 

While  passing  through  this  dry  country  our 
wagon  tires  became  so  loose  that  they  began  to 
roll  off  of  their  own  accord,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  do  a  little  blacksmithing  without  the  con- 
venience of  shop  or  forge,  coal,  coke  or  wood. 
It  was  quite  a  problem  to  solve,  but  we  finally 
figured  it  out  without  any  of  these  supposed 
necessities.  We  tacked  thin  strips  of  seasoned 
wood  we  had  in  our  wagons  all  around  the  fel- 
loes of  the  wheel,  thus  enlarging  them  slightly. 
Then  gathering  up  an  enormous  pile  of  "buffalo 
chips"  from  the  plains,  we  set  fire  to  them,  and 
piled  the  wagon  tires  on  top  of  them  and  soon 
had  them  red  hot.  Then  we  slipped  them  on 
the  enlarged  felloes  and,  pouring  water  over 
them,  soon  had  them  shrunk  until  they  were  as 


The  Wild  West  117 

tight  as  when  we  first  started  on  our  trip.  Thus 
you  see  necessity  is  ever  the  mother  of  invention. 

Then  we  emerged  into  the  prairie  country  of 
Texas,  afterward  to  become  famous  as  the  home 
preserve  of  the  "Texas  steer,"  who  made  many  a 
lazy  lout  a  millionaire,  and  all  of  the  rich  quick 
Chicago  packers,  who  stole  the  profits  of  the 
entire  business  after  the  cattle  reached  their  pens. 

On  these  prairies  we  saw  deer,  antelope,  and 
buffalo,  but  not  so  many  of  the  latter  as  we  had 
seen  in  northern  Kansas.  We  killed  and  ate  all 
that  we  needed. 

We  ran  across  many  stray  bands  of  Indians 
in  this  country,  and  they  were  a  nasty,  wolfish 
looking  and  acting  lot  of  humanity.  They  were 
always  stopping  to  beg  supplies  from  us,  but 
never  disturbed  us  in  any  way.  In  fact,  they  had 
more  of  the  characteristics  of  the  hyena.  None 
of  them  could  understand  the  language  of  the 
northern  tribes  with  which  we  were  familiar. 
All  they  could  do  was  to  grunt  and  point  toward 
what  they  wanted. 

These  prairies  were  alive  with  game  birds, 
wild  turkeys,  grouse,  prairie  chickens,  and  plover; 
and  we  did  not  want  for  the  choicest  sport,  and 
feasted  upon  the  finest  game  birds  that  ever 
tempted  the  appetite  of  man. 


118  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

The  pasture  was  abundant  here,  and  our  horses 
kept  in  splendid  condition,  although  we  had  run 
out  of  grain  some  time  before.  We  had  arrived 
in  Denver  the  latter  part  of  February,  and 
reached  the  Staked  Plains  about  a  month  later, 
consequently  when  we  struck  the  grazing  prairies 
in  northern  Texas  and  Indian  Territory,  the 
spring  was  well  advanced,  and  nature  had  already 
clothed  everything  in  the  brightest  green.  It 
was  a  beautiful  country,  and  we  thoroughly  en- 
joyed our  passage  through  it.  Along  the  streams 
timber  now  began  to  appear,  and  it  began  to 
look  more  homelike  to  natives  of  the  Wolverine 
State.  After  one  has  passed  through  hundreds 
of  miles  of  Staked  Plains  trees  are  a  welcome 
sight 

When  we  reached  a  point  which  we  supposed 
was  the  center  of  the  Indian  Territory,  or  "Na- 
tion," as  it  was  called  then,  we  made  the  ac- 
quaintance again  of  white  men,  cowboys  herding 
small  herds  of  four  or  five  hundred  steers  each. 
They  were  friendly  and  cordial,  offering  us  the 
beef  and  other  supplies  we  needed. 

The  steers  in  these  herds  were  very  wild  and 
vicious,  and  would  circle  about  us  for  four  or 
five  miles.  They  took  umbrage  at  our  red 
wagons,  and  often  attacked  our  horses,  and  would 


The  Wild  West  119 

almost  get  up  nerve  enough  to  charge  our  wagons. 
The  dog  took  good  care  to  stay  discreetly  under 
one  of  the  wagons,  for  he  was  wise  enough  to 
know  that  they  would  soon  impale  him  with 
their  long  horns  and  trample  him  under  foot 
Bands  of  these  steers  would  sometimes  follow  us 
for  miles  with  the  most  hostile  intentions  and 
demonstrations.  We  would  often  shoot  over  their 
heads  to  scare  them  away,  especially  when  they 
drew  too  near  our  horses.  Fortunately  we  were 
not  compelled  to  kill  any  of  them,  but  such  an 
alternative  seemed  desperately  near  at  times. 

From  this  point  northward  we  frequently  ran 
across  herders  and  other  evidences  of  the  presence 
of  white  men;  but  none  of  us  even  dreamed  of 
the  wonderful  development  which  has  in  recent 
years  taken  place  throughout  this  country,  now 
known  as  the  state  of  Oklahoma,  one  of  the 
richest  and  best  governed  in  the  Union. 

We  came  through  southeastern  Kansas,  and 
here  ran  across  a  few  settlers  living  in  "dug-out" 
houses.  They  were  righting  a  brave  battle  against 
adverse  conditions  of  the  most  gigantic  propor- 
tions, among  which  might  be  mentioned  lack  of 
transportation  and  markets.  We  passed  through 
Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  which  at  that  time  was  a 
small  village  with  a  government  post  located 


120  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

upon  a  high  hill.  It  did  not  look  much  like  the 
city  of  today.  It  was  a  real  frontier  town  at 
that  time,  a  very  outpost  of  civilization. 

From  there  we  traveled  directly  to  Kansas 
City,  and  passed  through  sections  where  there 
were  a  number  of  settlers.  At  that  time  Kansas 
City  was  only  a  small  steamboat  landing.  I  do 
not  think  there  were  over  one  hundred  people  in 
the  village.  It  was  a  dirty  looking  prospect,  and 
we  tarried  there  only  one  night.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  it  did  not  resemble  the  present  city  in  any 
respect.  We  pushed  on  northward  into  the  ex- 
treme northeastern  part  of  the  state  of  Kansas, 
and  in  making  this  detour  passed  through  the 
site  of  Marysville  again,  or  what  there  was  of 
it  at  that  time.  It  had  not  changed  much  since 
our  first  visit.  It  could  now  boast  of  one  small 
trading  store,  and  a  few  miserable  shacks,  and 
there  were  signs  of  trails  leading  to  and  from  the 
place. 

Here  we  witnessed  the  summary  trial  and  exe- 
cution of  an  emigrant  bound  for  the  Far  West  in 
a  big  prairie  schooner.  This  was  our  first  view 
of  Western  justice,  and  the  system  of  home-made 
jurisprudence  then  in  vogue  on  the  plains.  It 
was  also  our  last,  for  which  we  were  truly  thank- 
ful. There  was  no  grand  jury,  prosecuting  attor- 


The  Wild  West  121 

ney,  judge,  sheriff,  clerk,  or  bailiff,  and  there  were 
no  lawyers,  and,  in  fact,  none  of  the  hitherto 
supposed  absolutely  necessary  court  functionaries 
and  personages;  but  there  were  action  and  pro- 
cedure of  the  most  vigorous  sort,  and  they  arrived 
at  speedy  results. 

They  gave  the  accused  a  chance  for  his  life, 
although  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  the  jury  which 
tried  him  would  have  passed  the  usual  scrutiny 
or  examination;  and  I  am  afraid  that  all  of  them 
would  have  been  disqualified  from  service  if  they 
had  been  questioned  closely  as  to  their  knowledge 
of  the  case  and  the  purported  facts,  as  well  as 
their  prejudice  and  bias  against  the  accused 
and  their  ability  to  give  him  a  fair  and  impartial 
trial  after  having  all  the  information  at  first 
hand  just  a  few  moments  before  they  were  im- 
paneled in  the  jury  box.  I  am  afraid  they  would 
all  have  been  disqualified  if  they  had  been  in- 
terrogated on  the  question  as  to  whether  they 
had  formed  an  opinion  as  to  the  guilt  or  inno- 
cence of  the  accused,  for  it  was  very  manifest 
that  they  had  formed  an  opinion  very  adverse 
to  him,  and  one  which  would  not  give  way  very 
readily  to  any  evidence  in  his  favor. 

But  none  of  these  supposed  safeguards  to 
liberty  and  justice  seemed  to  trouble  these  jurors 


122  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

in  the  least.  They  dispensed  with  them  appar- 
ently without  any  qualms  of  conscience  what- 
ever, as  well  as  that  other  one  which  guarantees 
in  most  jurisdictions  that  an  accused  person  shall 
always  have  the  right  to  counsel,  even  though  he 
be  a  pauper. 

While  it  had  its  shortcomings  in  these  re- 
spects, I  surmise  it  might  have  been  contended 
by  its  inventors  and  advocates  that  it  had  good 
features  which  more  than  compensated  for  these 
deficiencies,  among  which  might  be  mentioned 
speed,  certainty,  and  finality,  for  there  was  no 
appeal  from  their  verdict  (their  system  of  juris- 
prudence did  not  admit  fallibility),  hence  no 
court  of  errors  or  appeals  had  any  business  re- 
viewing their  proceedings.  Their  decisions  were 
supreme,  and  no  earthly  body  could  ever  tamper 
with  or  reverse  them.  If  they  occasionally  hung 
the  wrong  man  by  being  a  little  too  hasty,  they 
caught  the  guilty  man  as  soon  as  possible  and 
hung  him,  too,  and  thus  doubly  protected  the 
community  by  allowing  no  suspects  to  escape  the 
full  penalty  of  the  guilty. 

In  other  words,  every  suspect  was  presumed  to 
be  guilty  until  he  proved  himself  to  be  inno- 
cent, and  he  was  given  about  thirty  minutes  in 
which  to  produce  all  necessary  witnesses,  and  no 


The  Wild  West  123 

process  of  the  court  aided  him  in  producing  them. 
Preparation  for  trial  was  limited  to  precious  few 
moments,  and  in  this  respect  they  argued,  no 
doubt,  that  the  commonwealth  was  equally  handi- 
capped in  the  absence  of  any  necessary  witnesses 
in  its  behalf.  But  the  truth  of  the  matter  was 
that  suspicion  filled  in  all  of  the  gaps  and  places 
barren  of  evidence  on  the  part  of  the  state  in 
cases  of  this  kind,  and  everything  was  indulged 
in  the  way  of  presumptions  in  favor  of  the  state. 

We  arrived  just  as  they  were  voluntarily  mak- 
ing up  the  jury,  every  man  self-appointed  to  the 
service.  I  volunteered  to  defend  the  poor  emi- 
grant, who  had  neither  counsel  nor  friends,  having 
been  halted  in  his  progress  less  than  half  an  hour 
before  by  the  "vigilance  committee"  (which  was 
now  to  sit  as  jurors  in  his  case)  while  he  was 
making  some  purchases  in  the  little  store  which 
had  sprung  up  since  we  had  passed  through  almost 
two  years  before.  Settlers  too  had  squatted  in 
surprising  numbers  all  about  the  hamlet  during 
the  intervening  months. 

No  objection  was  made  to  my  effort  to  aid  the 
poor  emigrant  in  his  fight  for  liberty.  It  was 
purely  an  uphill  effort  to  prove  his  innocence, 
rather  than  an  effort  to  prove  his  guilt,  for  the 
presumption  was  against  him  from  the  outset. 


124  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

Notwithstanding  my  efforts  to  have  matters  move 
along  with  a  modicum  of  regularity  as  to  pro- 
cedure, I  was  promptly  overruled  by  the  entire 
jury,  who  proceeded,  over  my  objections,  to  place 
my  client  on  the  stand  and  question  him  regarding 
his  guilt  or  innocence,  or  any  other  fact  which 
suggested  itself  to  their  fancy  or  curiosity.  He 
was  so  frightened  that  his  speech  was  at  times 
incoherent.  It  was  a  dreadful  spectacle,  and 
the  only  saving  feature  was  the  fact  that  it  was 
speedily  over,  and  the  verdict  carried  out. 

The  testimony  developed  that  while  the  emi- 
grant had  gone  into  the  store  to  make  purchases 
of  supplies,  the  loafers  standing  in  front  of  the 
store  had  lifted  up  the  rear  curtain  of  his  big 
bowed  schooner  and  found  the  corpse  of  a  young 
man  lying  beneath  blankets.  He  had  apparently 
been  dead  for  two  or  three  days  and  decomposi- 
tion had  already  set  in.  This  state  of  affairs  had 
resulted  in  our  emigrant  being  called  immediately 
upon  the  carpet,  and  taken  into  custody,  charged 
with  his  murder.  No  evidence  of  violence  was 
visible  upon  his  person,  and  the  accused  emigrant 
claimed  that  he  had  died  suddenly  in  the  night 
presumably  of  heart  disease,  and  strenuously 
denied  his  guilt  of  having  any  part  in  his  friend's 
sudden  demise.  Questioned  closely  as  to  why  he 


The  Wild  West  125 

had  not  buried  his  partner,  he  stated  that  he  had 
carried  the  body  with  him  in  the  hope  of  striking 
some  little  settlement  where  he  could  give  him 
a  decent  burial,  and  mark  the  spot  for  his  rela- 
tives. He  stated  that  he  had  intended  upon 
coming  out  of  the  store,  after  having  taken  a 
glance  about  the  settlement,  to  announce  the 
death  of  his  partner  and  ask  the  aid  of  the  men 
standing  about  to  bury  his  friend,  but  their  pry- 
ing curiosity  had  prevented  this  in  the  manner 
already  related.  Thus,  perhaps  ten  minutes  of 
indecision  and  a  mere  error  of  judgment  as  to 
the  most  opportune  time  to  make  this  announce- 
ment, cost  the  poor  emigrant  his  life,  for  his 
statement  as  to  his  intention  to  disclose  the  facts 
was  disbelieved. 

After  a  brief  argument  by  me  in  his  behalf, 
in  which  I  did  my  best  to  rally  the  spirit  of 
the  old  constitutional  safeguards  of  liberty  and 
justice  in  his  behalf,  I  impressed  upon  the 
jury  the  insufficiency  of  the  evidence  to  convict, 
and  the  fact  that  the  conclusion  of  guilt  was  not 
the  only  one  that  might  reasonably  be  drawn  from 
the  evidence  before  them  and  that  it  was  their 
bounden  duty,  although  unsworn,  to  give  him  the 
benefit  of  every  reasonable  doubt,  I  laid  stress 
upon  the  fact  that  it  was  the  gravest  matter 


126  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

which  could  ever  confront  a  body  of  citizens  of 
this  great  republic,  and  the  results  of  a  mistake 
in  judgment  would  be  most  terrible  to  contem- 
plate, since  there  was  only  circumstantial  evi- 
dence of  the  poorest  sort  to  dispute  the  story  of 
the  poor  emigrant.  I  closed  with  as  good  a 
burst  of  eloquence  and  as  much  of  a  peroration 
as  I  was  capable  of,  and  the  jury  deliberated  in 
their  seats  on  the  rude  store  benches.  He  was 
adjudged  guilty  of  premeditated  murder  in  the 
first  degree,  and  sentenced  to  immediate  execu- 
tion, at  their  hands,  by  hanging  by  the  neck 
until  he  was  dead.  Thus  they  became  his  ac- 
cusers, judges,  and  executioners,  a  trinity  of  duties 
seldom  combined  in  any  well  regulated  court  of 
justice. 

He  was  immediately  prepared  for  his  exit  from 
this  sphere  of  activity,  his  boots  and  coat  being 
removed,  and  his  hands  tied  behind  him  with  a 
small  rope.  Then  he  was  given  about  five  minutes 
in  which  to  address  a  prayer  to  his  God,  of  which 
he  took  full  privilege;  and  I  am  certain  that  the 
great  Father  of  all  heard  his  fervent  petition. 
After  its  close  he  was  asked  if  he  had  anything 
to  say  before  the  sentence  was  carried  out. 

He  made  a  brief  statement  as  to  his  name  and 
place  of  residence  in  Ohio,  all  of  the  salient 


The  Wild  West  127 

facts  regarding  his  early  boyhood  and  young  man- 
hood, and  that  of  his  partner,  who  had  been  his 
boyhood  chum  and  schoolmate.  Then,  after  re- 
iterating his  absolute  innocence  of  the  crime  of 
which  he  had  been  so  summarily  and  hastily 
convicted,  he  charged  me  with  the  duty  of  bury- 
ing his  body,  and  transmitting  the  manner  of 
his  end  to  his  relatives  in  Ohio,  as  well  as  that 
of  his  partner;  a  duty  which  I  carried  out  some 
months  later  after  my  return  to  my  home  in 
Michigan.  He  then  thanked  me  for  my  kind- 
ness, as  he  was  pleased  to  term  it,  in  trying 
to  aid  him  to  establish  his  innocence,  and  then 
told  his  executioners  that  he  was  ready  to  meet 
his  God. 

A  rope,  with  the  customary  noose,  was  quickly 
adjusted  around  his  neck,  and  the  loose  end 
thrown  over  the  limb  of  a  nearby  tree;  and  this 
being  immediately  seized  by  his  executioners, 
he  was  swiftly  hoisted  above  ground,  and  in  five 
minutes'  time  he  was  pronounced  dead  by  the 
jury. 

His  body  was  then  let  down  and,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  jury,  I  buried  him  beneath  the 
Kansas  sod,  upon  which  grew  the  flowers  of 
springtime.  I  wrapped  him  in  an  American 
flag  and  some  blankets,  both  of  which  I  found  in 


128  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

his  prairie  schooner.  Thus  by  the  decree  of  his 
peers  this  innocent  young  settler  was  in  this 
dreadful  manner  deprived  of  his  life.  His  name 
I  shall  never  reveal  for  the  sake  of  his  family 
and  friends  in  Ohio,  some  of  whom  are  yet  living 
in  that  great  commonwealth. 

We  then  buried  his  partner  in  a  grave  not 
ten  feet  distant,  and  thus  their  bodies  will  re- 
pose side  by  side  in  the  soil  of  Kansas  until 
the  judgment  day. 

The  mementoes  and  keepsakes  which  he  had 
consigned  to  my  care  I  took  with  me,  and  after- 
ward placed  in  the  hands  of  his  white-haired, 
sorrowing  old  mother  in  Ohio.  His  other  prop- 
erty I  left  in  the  hands  of  the  storekeeper  at 
Marysville,  to  be  disposed  of  in  accordance  with 
whatever  orders  might  be  received  from  his  rela- 
tives in  Ohio. 

We  did  not  tarry  long  at  Marysville,  being 
anxious  to  leave  the  scene  of  such  a  heart-rending 
tragedy  as  far  behind  as  possible.  Our  entire 
stop  here  did  not  last  more  than  a  half-day.  I 
have  often  wondered  what  was  the  moral  develop- 
ment of  that  community,  and  just  how  such  people 
had  prospered  or  otherwise.  In  the  country  in 
which  I  was  reared  grave  doubts  would  have 
arisen  concerning  their  capacity  for  anything 


Streeter  Repairing  the  "Reutan" 


The  Wild  West  129 

good,  or  the  appreciation  thereof.  It  was  strange 
material  out  of  which  to  build  a  new  com- 
munity, and  I  would  certainly  ask  to  be  excused 
from  living  among  them.  I  never  had  any 
yearning  to  revisit  their  locality;  but  I  will  con- 
fess, however,  that  recently  I  have  had  a  sneaking 
inclination  to  shunt  all  of  the  dollar  hog  outlaws 
into  such  a  locality.  I  believe  there  they  would  be 
given  their  full  deserts  without  the  quiver  of  an 
eyelash ;  and  you  may  rest  assured  there  would  be 
no  changes  of  venue,  no  appeals,  and  no  stays  of 
execution  or  judgment. 

We  now  proceeded  northeastward  through  the 
prairie  country  and  into  the  state  of  Iowa,  which 
we  found  being  settled  quite  rapidly.  However, 
the  greater  portion  of  it  was  yet  unoccupied 
prairie  lands,  where  game  and  wild  fowl  were 
abundant  on  every  hand. 

We  stopped  at  Des  Moines,  which  was  quite 
a  pretty  little  city  at  that  time,  located  on  the 
river  of  the  same  name.  From  there  we  moved 
on  down  this  river  until  we  reached  Ottumwa, 
another  healthy  little  town  which  gave  promise 
of  improvement.  From  this  place  we  took  a 
nearly  direct  course  through  the  prairie  to  Bur- 
lington on  the  Mississippi  River.  This  was  a 
thriving  river  town.  Here  we  crossed  the  river 


130  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

on  a  flatboat,  and  took  a  direct  route  for  Peoria, 
a  rather  prosperous  small  town  in  the  great 
prairie  of  central  Illinois,  situated  on  the  Illinois 
River. 

From  this  point  we  traveled  through  the  prairie 
eastward  to  Kankakee,  on  the  eastern  border  of 
the  state.  We  then  crossed  over  into  Indiana, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Kankakee  River  and 
its  great  impassable  swamp,  and  pursued  our 
way  to  South  Bend,  Indiana,  a  beautiful  little  city 
in  the  rich  St.  Joseph  Valley.  From  there  we 
crossed  shortly  into  our  native  state,  heading 
for  Three  Rivers,  Michigan.  From  there  we  pro- 
ceeded to  Jackson,  thence  to  Lansing,  to  Owosso, 
and  ended  our  journey  at  Montrose,  which  we 
had  left  in  the  month  of  June,  1860.  It  was 
now  the  month  of  August  in  the  following  year. 


CHAPTER  VI 

WAR  EXPERIENCES 

After  a  short  rest  at  the  old  homestead,  I 
was  importuned  to  enter  into  another  contract 
to  cut  and  saw  into  lumber  about  two  and  a 
half  million  feet  of  virgin  pine;  and  early  in 
the  fall  started  the  initial  work  of  dredging  out 
about  three  miles  of  a  creek  which  I  intended 
to  use  for  rafting  purposes. 

When  I  departed  on  my  trip  to  the  west  the 
country  was  much  stirred  up  over  the  possibility  of 
the  election  of  President  Lincoln.  There  was  some 
talk  of  an  uprising  in  the  South,  but  nobody 
believed  it  would  materialize,  and  even  if  it  did 
we  thought  it  would  be  of  short  duration.  I 
did  not  pay  much  attention  to  it,  for  my  mind 
was  so  taken  up  with  plans  for  this  trip,  and 
my  anxiety  to  see  this  virgin  country  was  so 
keen,  that  it  overshadowed  everything  else. 

We  did  not  hear  a  single  word  of  the  con- 
flict during  our  trip  until  we  reached  Fort  Scott, 
Kansas,  on  the  last  stage  of  the  journey,  for  we 


132  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

were  entirely  out  of  touch  with  civilization  from 
the  time  we  left  St.  Joseph  in  Missouri  until  we 
reached  Fort  Scott,  where  we  heard  that  Fort 
Sumter  had  been  fired  upon  and  that  a  conflict 
was  inevitable.  From  that  point  on  we  obtained 
additional  bits  of  news  at  every  town  we  passed 
through,  and  realized  that  a  sanguinary  struggle 
was  on  hand,  and  that  the  nation  and  its  great 
executive  had  a  stupendous  task  before  them. 

While  engaged  in  cleaning  out  this  stream, 
preparatory  to  the  logging  operations  just  men- 
tioned, I  was  drafted  for  service  in  the  Union 
Army,  together  with  a  friend  of  mine,  Seymour 
W.  Ensign,  at  that  time  town  clerk  of  the  little 
village  of  Montrose. 

After  bidding  adieu  to  all  my  relatives  and 
friends,  and  turning  over  my  timber  contract 
to  my  father  and  one  of  my  brothers,  I  joined 
Mr.  Ensign,  and  we  proceeded  to  Flint,  where 
we  were  mustered  into  the  service  and  assigned 
to  the  Fifteenth  Regiment  of  Michigan  Volun- 
teers. On  our  way  to  the  front  our  first  stopping 
point  was  Indianapolis,  where  we  stayed  over 
night.  From  there  we  were  sent  to  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  where  we  tarried  only  half  a  day,  and 
from  there  to  Nashville,  Tennessee.  There  we 
were  quartered  over  night  in  the  famous  Zolli- 


War  Experiences  133 

coffer  House,  which  I  believe  is  yet  standing  and 
in  splendid  condition,  although  punctured  by 
many  cannon  balls  from  Union  artillery  during 
the  war.  It  was  a  very  large  and  beautiful  struc- 
ture of  the  old  colonial  type  of  architecture, 
with  great  columns  and  pillars  along  the  facade 
and  in  the  rotunda,  and  presented  a  very  im- 
posing appearance.  This  was  my  first  introduc- 
tion to  Southern  architecture. 

The  next  day  we  were  sent  to  Chattanooga, 
which  we  reached  some  days  later.  I  was  a 
member  of  a  detached  corps,  usually  under  the 
command  of  General  Oliver  of  Michigan,  and 
never  saw  the  regiment  into  which  I  was  mus- 
tered into  the  service,  and  never  knew  but  one 
other  man  who  was  a  member  of  it. 

When  we  arrived  at  Chattanooga  the  whole 
town  and  surrounding  country  was  filled  with 
thousands  of  Union  troops,  and  the  entire  town 
was  cut  up  with  trenches  and  breastworks. 

I  was  assigned  to  a  graveyard  as  an  introduc- 
tion to  active  service,  and  we  made  good  use 
of  the  tombstones  in  more  ways  than  one. 

It  was  then  the  month  of  December,  and  the 
weather  was  chilly  and  disagreeable,  the  ground 
freezing  every  night  and  thawing  during  the  day. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  rain  during  the  month; 


134  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

in  fact,  during  the  entire  winter.  This  made 
camp  life  very  uncomfortable,  for  the  soil  was 
a  red  sticky  clay  and  held  the  water  like  a  pan, 
and  the  poor  soldiers  in  the  trenches  were  obliged 
to  soak  up  a  goodly  portion  of  it.  Our  blankets 
froze  to  the  ground  nearly  every  night,  and  in 
the  morning  we  had  a  tough  time  pulling  them 
loose  and  drying  them  out  before  the  fire.  Under 
such  treatment  they  soon  became  a  dirty  reddish 
yellow,  the  color  of  the  soil.  We  utilized  the 
tombstones  as  much  as  possible  for  feather  beds, 
but,  unfortunately,  there  were  not  enough  to  go 
round.  During  the  day  we  used  them  as  shields 
to  prevent  the  sharpshooters  in  the  Confederate 
camp  from  picking  us  off. 

Those  were  strenuous  days,  but  we  were  a 
hardy  lot  and  used  to  tell  the  "Rebs,"  whenever 
we  had  a  good  opportunity,  that  we  did  not  be- 
long to  the  Bull  Run  crowd,  and  that  it  would 
take  more  than  one  volley  to  make  us  run.  Right 
here  I  wish  to  state  that,  after  a  lapse  of  more 
than  fifty  years,  I  did  not  know  a  man  in  our 
army  in  and  about  Chattanooga  who  was  a 
coward,  or  who  would  have  run  if  he  had  been 
given  a  good  chance  in  order  to  avoid  the  enemy's 
fire.  Every  man  seemed  to  be  imbued  with  the 
true  fighting  spirit,  which  could  resist  to  the 


War  Experiences  135 

death;  and  the  Confederate  troops  opposed  to  us 
for  several  months  seemed  to  be  imbued  with 
the  same  spirit.  They  used  to  taunt  us  with  the 
boast  that  they  would  clean  us  up  in  the  end,  and 
they  really  believed  it  until  we  defeated  them  at 
Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  and 
Sherman  started  on  his  march  to  the  sea. 

During  the  next  twelve  months  we  fought  over 
every  inch  of  ground  for  miles  around  Chatta- 
nooga. I  was  in  the  battles  of  Lookout  Mountain, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Cleveland,  Knoxville,  Chatta- 
nooga, Tunnel  Hill,  Atlanta,  then  at  Tunnel  Hill 
again,  and  then  back  at  Chattanooga. 

The  two  armies  had  trenches  and  breastworks 
on  both  sides  of  the  Tennessee  River  from  Chat- 
tanooga to  Lookout  Mountain.  Our  artillery  in 
and  about  Chattanooga  shelled  the  Confederates 
on  Lookout  Mountain  for  days  while  we  were 
hiding  in  trenches  and  behind  breastworks  and 
crawling  up  the  sides  .of  the  mountain  at  every 
opportune  moment,  and  protecting  ourselves  as 
best  we  could  behind  rocks  and  every  barrier 
we  could  find.  The  Confederates  were  constantly 
shelling  Chattanooga  and  our  advancing  army, 
but  after  a  desperate  series  of  attacks  and  charges 
we  finally  drove  them  from  their  positions  and 
forced  them  into  flight. 


136  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

At  Knoxville  and  Cleveland  they  stood  their 
ground  and  gave  us  stubborn  resistance;  but  they 
could  not  withstand  our  attacks  and  had  to  flee 
in  defeat. 

Near  Cleveland  one  night,  while  I  was  doing 
picket  duty  along  a  highway,  I  had  an  experience 
which  did  not  fall  to  the  lot  of  every  soldier  in 
the  ranks.  About  midnight  I  heard  the  sound 
of  horse's  hoofs  approaching,  and  concealed  my- 
self behind  a  bush  which  stood  on  the  very  edge 
of  the  roadway.  When  the  horse  and  its  rider 
came  almost  opposite  me  I  halted  them  at  the 
point  of  my  bayonet  and  commanded  the  rider  to 
give  the  countersign.  As  he  could  not  give  it,  I 
then  compelled  him  to  dismount  and  follow  me, 
after  having  first  relieved  him  of  his  carbine,  pis- 
tols, and  various  other  accoutrements.  He  was  a 
well  dressed  gentleman,  wore  high-topped  boots, 
and  bore  every  appearance  of  intelligence  and  of 
more  than  ordinary  consequence.  He  had  papers 
on  his  person  containing  information  of  im- 
portance to  the  Confederate  army.  He  proved  to 
be  a  famous  Confederate  spy,  and  we  were  very 
much  pleased  to  intercept  him  and  spoil  his 
opportunities  for  future  usefulness  in  that  line. 
After  turning  him  over  to  the  proper  officers  I 
returned  to  my  post  of  duty. 


War  Experiences  137 

While  in  and  about  Chattanooga  some  of  the 
men  in  our  ranks  were  detailed  from  day  to  day 
to  engage  in  the  sometimes  pleasant,  and  some- 
times unpleasant,  task  of  foraging  for  supplies 
to  feed  the  hungry  soldiers.  We  always  accepted 
this  task  with  pleasure,  since  no  matter  how  dan- 
gerous it  always  afforded  an  opportunity  for 
recreation.  The  truth  is  we  were  always  glad 
of  an  excuse  to  get  away  from  the  muddy 
trenches  of  the  city;  and  when  we  could  find 
turkeys,  pigs,  bacon,  ham,  eggs,  and  other  coun- 
try truck  handy,  and  get  away  with  them  without 
any  bullet  holes  in  our  anatomy,  it  was  a  highly 
interesting  occupation. 

But  when  those  old  hills  around  Chattanooga 
were  not  filled  with  "Johnny  Rebs"  they  were 
usually  infested  with  an  organized  band  of 
"guerrillas"  who  wore  not  the  "gray"  but  the 
"butternut"  uniform.  Sometimes  they  would 
muster  as  many  as  three  hundred  men  and  chase 
us  almost  into  Chattanooga,  and  many  a  boy  in 
"blue"  lost  his  life  in  that  hill  country  trying 
to  get  forage  into  the  Union  lines. 

The  nearest  I  ever  came  to  joining  a  trip  to 
the  great  beyond  was  averted  by  too  sound  sleep- 
ing on  my  part.  One  night  with  some  forty  com- 
rades I  had  been  detailed  to  go  upon  a  foraging 


138  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

expedition  the  following  morning,  but  failed  to 
awake  in  time  to  join  the  party.  It  was  a  very 
fortunate  sleep  for  me,  for  only  one  of  these 
comrades  survived  to  tell  the  story  of  the  ill- 
fated  expedition. 

While  filling  up  their  wagons  with  the  stuff 
they  had  collected  the  foraging  party  was  at- 
tacked by  several  hundred  guerrillas,  and  anni- 
hilated, only  one  poor  boy  in  blue  escaping  to 
bring  back  the  dreadful  tidings.  Next  day  a  large 
detachment  of  Union  soldiers  was  dispatched  to 
the  scene  of  the  disaster  to  pick  up  the  dead  bodies 
scattered  here  and  there  over  the  fields,  in 
ravines,  behind  rocks,  trees,  and  various  objects 
where  to  little  purpose  they  had  sought  refuge  in 
defending  themselves.  While  hopelessly  out- 
numbered and  handicapped  by  being  on  foot 
while  their  pursuers  were  mounted,  they  never- 
theless sold  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible,  as 
many  a  "butternut"  clad  body  which  had  bitten 
the  dust  gave  mute  but  eloquent  testimony.  There 
surely  had  been  no  cowards  among  them.  "Guer- 
rillas" neither  expected  nor  gave  quarter.  They 
were  considered  outlaws,  and  treated  accordingly. 

I  was  usually  in  a  good  humor  and  looked  at 
the  conflict  from  a  philosophical  standpoint, 
realizing  that  it  was  not  a  personal  struggle 


War  Experiences  139 

which  had  its  foundation  in  personal  hatred  of 
the  men  in  the  ranks.  I  knew  that  we  served  as 
a  matter  of  patriotic  duty,  and  that  if  we  had 
had  our  choice  we  would  not  willingly  have 
killed  each  other  for  the  mere  love  of  killing, 
and  that  murder  did  not  lie  in  the  hearts  of  the 
men  in  the  ranks  of  either  army.  I  always 
realized  that  my  hands  and  ringers  were  not  given 
me  for  the  purpose  of  pulling  triggers  to  end 
the  existence  of  my  Southern  brothers,  and  I  be- 
lieve they  felt  the  same  toward  us. 

On  one  occasion,  however,  I  was  sorely  tempted 
in  the  heat  of  passion  to  kill  a  defenseless  old 
Southern  planter;  but  I  have  always  been  glad 
that  I  overcame  the  temptation  just  in  time. 

I  had  an  army  "chum"  or  "comrade"  whose 
name  was  Fred  Buckley,  and  a  braver  and  more 
noble-hearted  man  never  lived.  I  rejoice  that  he 
is  yet  in  the  land  of  the  living,  and  residing  at 
Owosso,  Michigan.  Often  we  would  make  up 
our  minds  to  go  on  a  foraging  trip  without  leave 
or  license,  and  on  these  expeditions  would  stray 
miles  outside  the  Union  lines.  It  was  a  danger- 
ous thing  to  do,  and  thousands  of  Union  soldiers 
would  have  returned  alive  to  their  homes  and 
families,  instead  of  perishing  on  the  Southern 
fields  had  they  not  yielded  to  this  temptation  to 


140  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

stray  about  through  the  "enemy's  country"  alone 
and  unprotected.  But  we  were  so  constantly 
threatened  with  death  and  danger  that  we  grew 
careless  and  did  not  stop  to  think  about  either. 

One  day  Buckley  and  I  played  "hookey,"  as 
the  schoolboys  call  it,  and  wandered  several 
miles  beyond  our  lines.  On  this  expedition  we 
ran  across  a  stately  old  planter  carrying  a  sack 
half  filled  with  something,  and  I  very  promptly 
halted  him  and  asked  him  what  he  had  in  it. 
He  knew  perfectly  well  that  we  were  merely 
looking  for  something  to  eat;  but  he  was  one 
of  those  stern,  uncompromising,  and  defiant  old 
fellows  who  would  almost  rather  die  than  conde- 
scend an  inch,  so  he  made  no  reply  to  my  question, 
but  gave  me  a  look  of  withering  contempt  that 
made  my  blood  boil.  I  then  took  hold  of  the  sack, 
but  he  instantly  jerked  it  from  my  grasp.  This 
thoroughly  enraged  me,  and  I  leveled  my  gun 
to  shoot  him.  My  finger  pressed  the  trigger 
pretty  hard.  Then  I  remembered  that  he  was 
unarmed,  and  relaxed  my  pressure,  exclaiming: 
"You  old  idiot,  I  had  a  mighty  strong  impulse 
to  kill  you,  but  I  won't,  since  you  are  unarmed ; 
now  drop  that  sack!"  He  complied,  while  Buck- 
ley had  him  covered. 

The   sack  contained   nothing  but  some   black 


War  Experiences  141 

beans,  with  which  the  army  was  at  that  time  sur- 
feited. The  fact  was  that  we  could  stand  them 
for  eighty  or  ninety  meals,  but  we  objected  to 
them  as  a  regular  diet.  "We  don't  want  your 
beans,"  I  exclaimed,  "and  if  you  had  acted  like 
a  man  and  told  me  what  you  had  in  the  sack  I 
would  have  told  you  that  we  didn't  want  your  old 
beans,  and  let  you  pass  on.  We  are  looking  for 
chicken,  ham,  bacon  and  eggs,  or  something  good. 
You  may  take  your  beans  and  go  on  about  your 
business,  but  if  you  have  any  sense  left  in  you, 
don't  ever  act  that  way  again  when  a  soldier 
asks  you  a  question.  I  know  you  don't  like  us; 
that  you  think  we  are  thieves  and  rascals;  but 
you  are  entirely  mistaken,  and  will  live  to  find 
it  out  at  some  period  of  your  life!"  We  then 
passed  on,  and  he  went  on  his  way  to  some  part 
of  his  plantation. 

All  about  Chattanooga  there  were  great  rocky 
ridges  splitting  up  the  farming  country  and 
running  back  to  the  mountains,  of  which  they 
were  in  reality  a  part.  These  ridges  were  of 
solid  rock,  yet  all  of  them  were  covered  with 
a  tolerably  thick  growth  of  chestnut  trees, 
with  here  and  there  a  sprinkle  of  pine.  The 
valleys  which  lay  between  these  rocky  ridges  were 
often  several  miles  in  width,  and  the  farms  were 


142  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

rich  and  fertile.  Sometimes  the  valleys  were 
very  narrow;  again  they  were  mere  ravines,  and 
quite  often  roads  wound  around  in  these  ravines 
and  gulches.  It  was  always  dangerous  to  travel 
in  these  ravines  or  along  their  roads,  for  the 
"guerrillas"  or  the  "Rebs,"  either  one,  could 
pick  you  off  from  the  shelter  of  the  timber  above, 
so  we  usually  traveled  along  the  brow  of  the 
wooded  ridges. 

On  another  occasion  Buckley  and  another  com- 
rade joined  me  on  a  forage,  and  we  strayed  miles 
into  the  country.  We  were  traveling  on  the  road, 
when  suddenly  three  "Rebs"  appeared  on  horse- 
back. A  thrill  shot  through  us,  for  a  trooper  al- 
ways had  the  advantage  of  a  foot  soldier  in  such  a 
location,  since  it  was  easy  to  run  the  pedestrian 
down,  and  the  sides  of  the  ravines  were  too  steep 
to  climb.  We  were  evidently  cornered,  but  I 
said,  "Let's  give  'em  a  volley!"  and  we  all  fired 
and  jumped  to  the  hillsides  for  concealment  if 
possible,  while  to  our  utter  amazement  the 
troopers  wheeled  and  fled  as  fast  as  their  horses 
could  carry  them.  They  evidently  thought  they 
were  approaching  the  picket  lines  of  the  Union 
army,  and  in  danger  of  encountering  a  large  body 
of  troops.  Thus  two  squads  of  soldiers  were  re- 
lieved from  what  each  regarded  as  a  close  call. 


War  Experiences  143 

I  had  almost  forgotten  to  relate  that  I  fired  so 
quickly  that  I  didn't  take  time  to  place  the  old 
musket  against  my  shoulder.  I  had  become  so 
used  to  wing  shooting  on  the  prairies  that  I 
sometimes  forgot  I  couldn't  handle  an  army  mus- 
ket that  way  without  disastrous  results.  Well, 
when  my  musket  roared,  the  butt  of  it  hit  me 
on  the  side  of  the  face  and  knocked  me  down. 
The  pain  was  so  great  for  the  moment  that  I 
felt  as  if  I  had  received  the  load  myself.  But 
I  could  not  lie  there,  so  I  scrambled  to  the 
side  of  the  ravine  to  find  a  bush,  if  possible,  to 
hide  behind  and  get  ready  for  the  next  volley. 
It  was  many  a  day  before  my  face  felt  good 
again. 

During  the  month  of  December,  1863,  about 
thirty  thousand  troops  were  speedily  dispatched 
to  Nashville  to  retake  that  city,  which  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  Confederates.  Here  I  saw 
the  greatest  shipment  of  living  human  beings  that 
I  ever  witnessed.  There  were  about  twenty  train 
loads  of  them,  and  each  train  was  made  up  of 
forty  or  fifty  cars  each. 

When  we  detrained  near  Nashville  the  Con- 
federates opened  fire  on  us,  and  we  were  obliged 
to  get  off  on  the  wrong  side  of  our  cars,  but  we 
used  them  as  a  breastwork  and  poured  a  strong 


144  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

fire  into  the  "Rebs,"  thus  protecting  ourselves 
and  the  train  loads  which  followed  us.  When  all 
got  on  terra  firma  we  quickly  formed  and 
charged  the  "Rebs,"  sending  them  flying,  and 
taking  possession  of  the  main  part  of  the  city. 

The  next  few  days  we  spent  in  whipping  them 
from  one  fortification  to  another.  They  were 
most  strongly  intrenched  in  the  east  and  south 
parts  of  the  city  and  on  the  adjacent  hills,  espe- 
cially in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  water  tower 
and  the  height  on  which  Peabody  Institute  is 
located. 

Here  we  saw  the  negro  regiments  in  action 
against  their  former  masters,  and  they  fought 
like  demons.  We  were  afraid  they  wouldn't 
stand  the  fire,  and  might  disgrace  the  reputation 
of  the  Union  army.  So  we  industriously  worked 
on  their  fears,  inciting  them  to  fight  as  never 
before  by  telling  them  that  here  lay  their  salva- 
tion or  their  Waterloo;  that  if  they  were  captured 
they  would  be  slaughtered  without  quarter.  We 
advised  them  to  run  the  "Rebs"  out  of  the  state 
if  they  ever  got  them  going.  Well,  the  truth  is 
they  carried  out  our  instructions  to  the  letter.  I 
never  saw  men  fight  more  valiantly  or  more  dog- 
gedly. I  never  witnessed  more  desperate  fighting, 
and  we  chased  the  enemy  for  thirty  miles. 


War  Experiences  145 

During  the  fight  I  remember  an  occurrence 
which  impressed  itself  vividly  upon  my  memory. 
A  shell  dropped  into  our  lines  and  failed  to  ex- 
plode. One  of  the  men  foolishly  picked  it  up 
and  began  picking  at  the  fuse  with  his  knife,  try- 
ing to  discover  why  it  did  not  go  off.  At  this 
juncture  another  soldier,  who  thought  it  a  foolish 
thing  to  do,  since  it  not  only  endangered  his  own 
life  but  that  of  others  as  well,  expostulated  with 
him,  and  finally  moved  toward  him  in  a  threat- 
ening manner,  as  if  intending  to  knock  him  down. 
Just  before  he  reached  the  foolhardy  fellow  the 
shell  exploded  and  killed  the  man  who  held  it 
and  four  other  comrades,  including  the  one  who 
was  expostulating  with  him.  It  was  a  sad  ob- 
ject lesson  to  all  who  witnessed  it. 

A  few  days  later  we  were  ordered  to  take  boat 
for  Louisville,  and  all  clambered  aboard  the  big 
river  barges  for  the  trip  down  the  Cumberland 
River.  We  had  much  sport  on  this  trip,  which 
occupied  several  days,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
boats  engaged  in  racing,  as  fast  as  such  lumber- 
ing craft  were  capable  of  speedy  action,  the  ob- 
ject being  to  see  which  boat  could  make  the  lock 
at  Louisville  first.  Sometimes  when  the  boats 
drew  alongside  each  other  the  boys  would  reach 
out  and  try  to  hold  their  rival  back. 


146  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

When  we  arrived  at  Louisville  we  were  all 
hungry,  for  we  had  run  out  of  supplies,  so  we 
raided  all  of  the  wholesale  grocery  and  commis- 
sion houses  along  the  river  the  first  thing  upon 
landing,  and  laid  in  a  supply  for  the  trip  to 
Cincinnati,  which  was  our  next  place  of  des- 
tination. 

Here  we  met  an  unexpected  reception  which  I 
shall  never  forget,  and  I  have  always  had  a  warm 
spot  in  my  heart  for  that  city  ever  since.  It 
seemed  that  the  entire  city  welcomed  our  arrival. 
No  other  city  ever  greeted  us  with  such  warm- 
hearted cordiality.  The  citizens  had  organized, 
in  anticipation  of  our  coming,  hundreds  of  places 
for  our  entertainment  which  they  called  "sol- 
diers' homes,"  and  quartered  us  therein.  All  of 
these  places  were  supplied  with  ample  heat. 
They  were  usually  churches,  public  halls,  and 
other  public  buildings;  and  since  I  had  left 
home  I  had  not  feasted  on  such  wholesome  food. 
Everything  that  the  hands  of  loving  women  could 
do  was  set  before  us  every  day  of  our  stay  in 
their  city.  It  was  one  continuous  feasting  for 
more  than  a  week. 

Friends  and  relatives  of  thousands  of  my  com- 
rades who  lived  in  Indiana  and  Ohio  came  to  the 
city  to  greet  them  and  visit  with  them  until 


War  Experiences  147 

their  departure.  It  was  truly  a  week  of  joy 
for  all.  A  humorous  experience  fell  to  my  lot 
at  this  time  which  must  not  go  unrecorded,  even 
though  the  joke  is  on  me.  While  walking  down 
Vine  Street  one  morning  a  beautiful  young  lady 
threw  her  arms  about  my  neck  and  hugged  and 
kissed  me  as  though  I  were  very  dear  to  her, 
exclaiming  the  while,  "Oh,  Charlie,  how  glad  I 
am  to  see  you!"  I  was  almost  smothered,  and 
had  to  disengage  her  arms  almost  forcibly,  ex- 
plaining as  best  I  could  in  the  midst  of  much 
embarrassment  that  my  name  was  not  Charlie, 
but  that  I  did  not  in  the  least  object  to  adopting 
it.  She  had  felt  sure  that  I  was  her  brother,  of 
course,  or  she  would  never  have  been  guilty  of 
such  an  indiscretion,  and  her  apologies  were  pro- 
fuse. Her  brother  was  a  comrade  of  mine,  and 
she  was  anxiously  expecting  him,  and  in  her 
anxiety  to  recognize  and  welcome  him  mistook 
me  for  her  brother  in  "blue."  I  was  in  "blue" 
all  right,  but  not  her  brother.  It  almost  made  me 
feel  blue  afterward  to  think  that  I  was  not. 

It  was  now  the  month  of  January  and  the 
weather  was  bitterly  cold,  and  we  felt  it  the 
more  keenly  having  just  come  from  a  much 
warmer  climate.  We  were  now  ordered  to  Balti- 
more, but  the  railroad  companies  insisted  on  com- 


148  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

pelling  us  to  travel  in  open  cars,  and  this  so  en- 
raged us  that  we  finally  served  notice  on  them 
that  if  they  did  not  provide  coaches  for  us  we 
would  burn  every  open  car  in  Cincinnati.  They 
promptly  decided  to  capitulate,  and  we  rode  to 
Baltimore  in  regular  coaches. 

Here  we  camped  on  the  streets  where  the  New 
York  soldiers  had  been  attacked  by  the  populace 
and  the  first  blood  of  the  war  shed  on  the  anni- 
versary of  old  Lexington  and  Concord.  We 
found  the  people  hostile  yet,  and  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  them  were  taught  to  respect  us  before  we 
left  there.  The  gentle  art  of  the  Marquis  of 
Queensberry  eventually  reduced  them  to  a  state  of 
decency. 

From  Baltimore  we  took  boats  to  Annapolis, 
Maryland,  where  we  saw  fifteen  hundred  ex- 
changed Union  soldiers  who  had  just  come  in 
from  the  notorious  Confederate  prison  at  Ander- 
sonville,  Georgia.  The  poor  fellows  were  so  ema- 
ciated and  weak  from  starvation  that  they  could 
not  walk  to  the  hospitals.  Three  hundred  dead 
bodies  were  taken  from  the  steamer  that  brought 
them.  The  sight  of  these  poor  mistreated  men 
caused  the  only  bitter  feeling  in  our  hearts  that 
I  recall  during  the  great  conflict,  for  the  sight  of 
these  poor  fellows  determined  all  of  the  men  to 


War  Experiences  149 

fight  the  "Rebs"  as  never  before  at  the  first  op- 
portunity, which  presented  itself  very  soon. 

At  Annapolis  we  were  transferred  from  the 
boats  to  the  new  steamer  "City  of  New  York," 
which  the  government  was  using  for  transport 
purposes.  It  was  a  very  large  vessel,  and  had 
three  decks.  We  were  packed  on  this  boat  as 
close  together  as  sardines  in  a  tin  box.  There 
was  only  one  small  alley-way  down  the  center  of 
each  deck  left  unoccupied.  This  was  necessary 
in  order  to  distribute  rations  to  the  men.  I  had 
already  had  some  experience  aboard  ship  and 
persuaded  my  comrade  Buckley  to  make  a  run 
for  the  extreme  stern  of  our  deck,  and  we  were 
thankful  that  we  secured  this  position  for  the 
thirteen  long  days  of  the  voyage. 

We  encountered  terrible  storms  on  the  Atlantic 
and  made  very  slow  progress.  Off  Cape  Hatteras 
there  was  a  terrible  hurricane,  and  we  did  not 
know  whether  our  vessel  was  going  to  weather 
the  storm  or  not,  but  we  finally  arrived  safely 
at  the  port  of  Newbern,  North  Carolina,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Neuse  River. 

During  nearly  the  entire  voyage  every  man  on 
board  was  seasick,  and  some  of  them  developed 
typhoid  fever.  The  vessel  resembled  the  Chicago 
Stockyards  more  than  any  $lace  I  have  ever 


150  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

seen.  The  action  of  the  storm  buffeting  the  ship 
about  on  the  waves  would  sometimes  pile  the 
men  up  in  a  heap  on  one  side  of  the  boat,  and 
then  roll  them  over  to  the  other  side.  At  other 
times  the  bow  and  stern  would  seem  alternately 
to  drop  fifty  feet,  as  though  the  vessel  was  plung- 
ing over  a  precipice,  or  sailing  through  space, 
and  we  would  then  be  jolted  violently  to  and  fro. 
It  was  an  experience  never  to  be  forgotten,  and 
one  never  to  be  repeated.  When  we  landed  at 
Newbern  we  were  all  so  weak  that  we  could 
scarcely  walk,  and  it  was  several  days  before  we 
were  in  marching  condition. 

From  Newbern  we  moved  toward  Kingston, 
North  Carolina,  engaging  the  enemy  in  a  sharp 
fight  at  Bachelor's  Creek.  While  here  I  was  laid 
up  two  weeks  in  a  hospital  with  a  fever,  but  was 
able  to  go  on  duty  again  before  the  army  moved 
to  new  fields  of  action. 

While  at  this  place  I  witnessed  one  of  the 
most  horrible  catastrophes  of  the  entire  war.  One 
morning,  just  after  the  mail  had  arrived  from  the 
North,  a  crowd  of  men  went  down  to  the  post- 
office  near  the  railway  tracks,  anxious  of  course 
to  receive  their  long-delayed  mail  from  home  and 
friends.  Just  at  this  time  some  of  our  troops 
were  loading  a  lot  of  torpedoes  on  the  train, 


War  Experiences  151 

which  they  intended  to  place  in  the  bed  of  the 
river  farther  up  stream  for  the  purpose  of  play- 
ing havoc  with  any  Confederate  vessels  which 
might  follow.  There  was  also  a  flat  car  upon 
which  a  battery  had  been  mounted  to  teach  the 
"Rebs"  to  keep  a  respectful  distance  from  our 
transportation  trains.  Some  soldier  carelessly 
dropped  a  torpedo,  and  a  terrific  explosion  in- 
stantly followed  which  shook  the  country  for 
miles  around.  I  was  many  hundred  feet  away, 
and  the  force  of  the  explosion  knocked  me  down 
as  it  did  hundreds  of  others.  When  we  ran  to 
the  spot  where  the  men  had  congregated  near 
the  postoffice  we  found  nothing  but  an  enormous 
hole  in  the  ground.  There  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  of  either  car  or  men;  but  hundreds  of  feet 
away  in  every  direction  we  soon  found  the  scat- 
tered and  dismembered  remains  of  more  than 
three  hundred  Union  soldiers,  which  we  gathered 
up  as  best  we  could  on  rubber  blankets,  and 
buried  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  was  an  awful 
sight.  One  body  was  found  in  the  top  of  a  big 
gum  tree  fully  five  hundred  feet  from  the  place 
of  the  explosion,  and  seventy-five  feet  from  the 
ground.  When  we  sawed  the  tree  down  and 
recovered  the  body,  we  found  that  almost  every 
bone  had  been  broken, 


152  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

War  is  indeed  an  inferno,  and  that  in  more 
ways  than  one.  It  is  all  a  sad  mistake,  and  can- 
not be  justified  save  in  defense  of  home  and 
native  land.  It  is  a  relic  of  barbarism  and  ought 
to  be  abolished  by  civilized  peoples.  In  the  same 
category  should  be  placed  the  stocks,  whipping 
posts,  dungeons,  gibbets,  guillotines,  electric 
chairs,  and  the  gallows.  Human  experience  has 
amply  demonstrated  that  they  are  all  worse  than 
useless.  Certainly  some  restraint  must  be  laid 
upon  those  who  will  not  respect  the  rights  of 
their  fellow  men,  but  when  man  attempts  to 
play  the  role  of  the  Supreme  Judge  he  is  a 
woeful  failure. 

It  is  indeed  a  shame  to  see  so  many  intelligent 
men  whose  consciences  revolt  against  the  execu- 
tion of  such  laws  sit  sagely  upon  the  bench,  and, 
pretending  to  believe  in  the  justice  of  such  laws, 
make  every  effort  to  enforce  them. 

We  have  been  taught  since  the  days  of  the 
old  Greeks  and  Romans  to  admire  that  concep- 
tion of  Justice  as  a  blind  goddess  holding  aloft 
a  pair  of  evenly  balanced  scales,  and  on  the 
frescoed  walls  of  court  rooms  all  over  the  land 
the  same  figure  is  represented,  but  I  have  come 
to  think  that  the  picture  is  nearer  the  truth  than 
the  bench  would  be  willing  to  admit.  It  is 


War  Experiences  153 

capable  of  two  interpretations.  Justice  is  indeed 
blind  when  it  attempts  to  usurp  the  prerogatives 
of  the  Almighty. 

From  here  we  moved  on  up  the  Neuse  River 
toward  Kingston.  We  started  on  the  march 
during  the  night,  and  at  one  place  near  the 
river  the  turnpike  ran  through  a  deep  quag- 
mire. The  night  was  so  dark  that  we  sometimes 
stumbled  against  the  comrades  in  front  of  us  as 
we  pushed  along.  While  we  were  marching  past 
this  point  one  of  our  comrades  evidently  stumbled, 
although  we  could  not  see  exactly  what  happened, 
but  we  heard  him  plunge  off  the  high  grade  of 
the  road  and  splash  into  the  quagmire  below. 
Buckley  and  I  ran  down  the  bank  and  fished 
around  with  our  bayonets  in  the  sticky  mire  try- 
ing to  locate  him,  but  we  could  find  no  sign  of 
him.  He  must  have  plunged  into  the  mire  head 
first  and  sank  immediately  to  the  bottom.  Re- 
gretfully we  were  obliged  to  march  on  without 
recovering  his  body.  I  have  never  heard  of  an- 
other accident  similar  to  this  during  my  entire 
service  in  the  army,  nor  since  that  time.  This 
is  only  another  proof  of  the  fact  that  war  is  an 
awful  and  inhuman  struggle.  In  the  ordinary 
pursuits  or  enterprises  of  life,  the  body  of  this 
soldier  would  have  been  recovered  if  it  had  taken 


154  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

days  to  locate  it,  but  it  could  not  be  done  in  the 
midst  of  the  marching  and  fighting  incident  to 
an  army. 

Shortly  thereafter  we  encountered  the  enemy 
at  Wise's  Forks  in  a  dense  wood,  where  they  had 
prepared  for  our  coming.  This  engagement  was 
the  most  spectacular  battle  I  ever  witnessed  dur- 
ing the  struggle  between  the  North  and  the 
South.  This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  entire 
forest  of  pine  trees  caught  fire  and  burned,  blaz- 
ing and  cracking  like  fireworks.  The  fight  lasted 
three  days  without  an  interval  of  rest  or  time  to 
eat  a  square  meal.  Our  only  rations  were  crackers 
and  water  snatched  between  volleys  and  lulls  in 
the  firing. 

The  Confederates  had  three  forts  in  this  pine 
forest,  and  from  these  their  operations  were 
directed.  They  came  near  flanking  us  at  one 
time,  and  did  turn  our  line  around  until  it  was 
at  right  angles  with  our  former  position.  The 
fire  in  the  pine  wood  at  this  point  in  the  fighting 
broke  out  so  fiercely  that  the  enemy  was  obliged 
to  turn  and  flee,  and  we  backed  out  into  an  open 
field  and  held  our  ground. 

One  of  our  batteries  lost  all  but  one  man,  and 
he  brought  it  out  of  the  wood  single-handed  and 
alone  with  one  horse.  He  then  planted  the  gun 


War  Experiences  155 

in  the  open  and  prepared  for  business  as  though 
he  had  just  commenced  to  fight,  and  was  soon 
pouring  the  grape  and  canister  into  the  on- 
coming "Rebs"  with  deadly  effect.  At  this 
stage  the  enemy  charged  us  repeatedly  with  lines 
seven  and  eight  deep,  and  the  fighting  was  ter- 
rible. They  would  almost  reach  our  ranks  when 
twenty  batteries,  belching  forth  a  perfect  hail 
of  grape  and  canister,  would  rake  their  ranks 
with  terrible  effect,  and  when  our  rifles  spoke  out 
at  this  juncture  they  always  broke  and  ran.  It 
was  more  than  men  could  stand,  brave  soldiers 
though  they  were,  as  brave  as  ever  lived  and 
fought.  They  could  not  stand  such  punishment 
and  advance;  but  they  would  retire  and,  under 
the  commands  and  encouragement  of  their  of- 
ficers, repeatedly  reform  their  ranks  and  come 
back  at  us  again  and  again.  I  never  saw  more 
desperate  and  continuous  fighting.  At  last  we 
had  the  good  fortune  to  rout  them,  and  you 
never  saw  such  jubilant  men  as  our  boys  in 
"blue."  They  chased  the  "Rebs"  for  fully  two 
miles  on  the  run,  as  fast  as  their  legs  would 
carry  them,  shouting  and  yelling  at  the  top  of 
their  voices,  as  if  gone  mad. 

During  this  pursuit  a  ball  as  big  as  the  half 
of  my  thumb  pierced  my  left  arm  just  above 


156  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  elbow,  and  ploughed  along  through  the  flesh 
until  it  lodged  in  my  shoulder.  Afterward  it 
worked  down  the  under  side  of  my  arm,  and  is 
now  lodged  near  my  elbow,  where  I  suppose  it 
will  always  remain.  It  has  been  a  part  of  my 
anatomy  for  almost  fifty  years,  so  I  don't  be- 
lieve I  shall  ever  part  with  my  uncanny 
souvenir. 

We  kept  right  on  after  the  enemy  until  we 
reached  the  river  at  Kingston,  and  by  this  time 
night  had  come.  Pontoon  bridges  were  thrown 
over  the  river  and  our  troops  crossed  to  the 
other  side,  landing  in  a  slough  that  was  shoulder 
deep  to  a  tall  man,  and  neck  deep  to  a  little  fel- 
low like  myself;  but  the  weather  was  mild  and 
we  waded  right  through  it  without  a  pause,  and 
marched  into  the  city  that  very  night.  Here  we 
grabbed  everything  eatable  we  could  find  and 
burned  up  the  houses  for  campfire  wood,  as  we 
usually  did  in  such  emergencies. 

At  one  place  in  the  city  there  was  a  sort  of  a 
flat-iron  square,  or  triangle,  and  in  this  space  had 
been  erected  a  platform,  on  which  for  a  long 
time  prior  to  our  coming  the  suspended  skeleton 
of  a  Union  soldier  had  been  exhibited,  with  a  big 
placard  attached,  upon  which  was  printed  the 
words,  "Death  to  the  Yankees."  We  soon  abol- 


War  Experiences  157 

ished  this  vulgar  display  of  a  mean-spirited  com- 
munity; and  Kingston  was  a  smoking  ruin  when 
our  army  marched  northward  en  route  to  Raleigh, 
the  state  capital.  This  incident  illustrates  the  old 
truth  that  like  begets  like. 

The  Confederates  evacuated  Raleigh  on  our 
approach,  and  we  took  possession  of  the  city 
without  opposition  of  any  sort,  ate  up  everything 
we  could  find  that  was  fit  to  eat,  and  then  started 
southward  to  see  what  we  could  do  to  the  capital 
city  of  South  Carolina.  We  were  a  long  time, 
however,  in  reaching  Columbia,  for  the  "Rebs" 
were  mighty  tricky  in  their  movements  every  step 
of  the  way.  They  would  be  on  one  side  of  us 
one  day,  and  on  the  other  side  the  next  day.  One 
day  we  would  march  twenty-five  miles  over  a 
road,  and  then  learn  that  the  position  of  the 
enemy  necessitated  retracing  our  steps,  and  the 
next  day  we  would  march  back.  This  game  of 
hide-and-seek  continued  during  the  entire  sum- 
mer and  fall  of  1864,  and  it  was  winter  when  we 
arrived  at  Columbia,  almost  at  the  same  time 
that  Sherman's  army  did,  thus  uniting  our 
forces. 

On  the  long  trip  from  Raleigh  to  Columbia 
I  recall  an  incident  which  had  some  humorous 
aspects  as  well  as  serious  ones.  On  this  par- 


158  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

ticular  day  Buckley  and  I  had  the  good  fortune 
to  rob  a  beehive  along  the  road,  and  also  to  lay 
violent  hands  on  a  guinea  hen,  and  while  we 
were  engaged  in  doing  full  justice  to  these  un- 
usual delicacies,  we  heard  a  great  shouting  and 
the  popping  of  rifles  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river 
along  which  our  army  had  been  temporarily 
halted.  The  main  body  of  the  army  had  not 
crossed  the  river,  but  a  small  force  had  pushed 
across  to  see  what  luck,  in  the  way  of  grub, 
might  attend  their  visits  to  the  neighboring  farm 
houses. 

It  happened  that  the  "Rebs"  unknown  to  our 
boys  had  fortified  the  hills  across  the  river  and 
they  met  with  an  unexpected  and  warm  recep- 
tion. Buckley  and  I  ran  to  the  brow  of  the  hill 
on  our  side  of  the  river,  as  did  hundreds  of 
others,  and  there  beheld  the  "Rebs"  chasing  our 
boys  down  the  hill  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
They  made  it  so  hot  for  them  that  when  they 
reached  the  river  bank  they  did  not  halt  to  dis- 
robe, but  plunged  in,  pell  mell,  just  like  so  many 
scared  frogs  or  turtles,  and  struck  out  with  might 
and  main  for  their  own  side  of  the  river.  The 
river  was  a  sluggish  stream  and  quite  deep,  and 
they  all  had  to  swim  for  the  shore  in  lively 
fashion.  Although  it  was  real  fun  to  see  their 


War  Experiences  159 

antics  in  such  a  predicament,  we  came  to  their 
rescue  as  quickly  as  possible  by  pouring  such  a 
terrific  fire  into  the  pursuing  "Rebs"  that  they 
broke  and  fled  for  cover.  Nevertheless  they  gave 
our  boys  a  close  call  which  they  did  not  soon 
forget. 

We  then  crossed  the  river  and  after  chasing 
the  enemy  from  their  fortifications,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  big  plantation  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  there  we  camped  for  the  night  In  the 
meantime  we  gathered  up  the  bodies  of  our  dead 
comrades,  and  the  "Rebs"  as  well,  and  by  the 
light  of  torches  buried  them  in  a  big  peach 
orchard,  our  chaplain  performing  the  last  sacred 
rites  for  both.  All  personal  effects  and  me- 
mentoes of  our  comrades  were  carefully  pre- 
served and  afterward  forwarded  to  their  rela- 
tives in  the  North,  as  was  always  the  case  when 
it  was  possible  to  do  so. 

In  the  morning  we  discovered  a  big  barn  filled 
with  sorghum  seed,  which  had  been  cut  with  a 
good  portion  of  the  stalk  attached  to  the  heads, 
giving  them  quite  a  broomlike  appearance.  There 
must  have  been  several  thousand  dollars  worth 
of  this  seed  stored  away,  and  we  had  used  some 
of  it  for  kindling  fires.  Some  of  the  boys  in  a 
playful  mood  began  to  strike  each  other  with 


160  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

these  bushy  stalks  of  seed,  and  others  taking 
it  up  there  were  soon  several  hundred  of  us  en- 
gaged in  a  regular  sham  battle.  The  sport  con- 
tinued for  several  minutes,  and  was  a  novel 
sight.  Those  switches  would  sting  sharply,  and 
a  number  of  us  had  a  good  many  speckled  places 
on  our  faces  where  the  seeds  had  brought  the 
blood  to  the  surface.  But  everyone  took  his 
medicine  in  good  humor,  for  it  was  only  a 
frolic  among  the  boys. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  pine  timber  scat- 
tered through  the  country  extending  from  Raleigh 
to  Columbia,  and  the  enemy  nearly  always  made 
their  stands  in  the  heart  of  these  pineries.  There 
were  good  reasons  for  doing  so.  They  had  a 
method  of  warfare  which  was  decidedly  provok- 
ing, and  novel  as  well.  They  would  fell  trees 
and  turn  the  tops  with  their  sharpened  branches 
toward  us,  porcupine  fashion.  Some  times  these 
queer  fortifications  would  be  arranged  in  a  solid 
line  for  two  or  three  miles.  They  afforded  an 
impassable  barrier,  and  an  excellent  hiding- 
place  and  protection  for  the  enemy.  They  would 
hide  themselves  safely  behind  the  butts  of  trees 
and  stumps  and  fire  away  at  us  as  we  approached 
their  line.  We  could  not  charge  directly  through 
such  a  barrier.  So  we  had  to  unlimber  our  big 


The  House  Built  on  the  Cld  Scow  where  Streeter  Lived  in  1892 


Tent  in  which  Streeter  Lived  during  Frequent  Evictions  in  1902 


War  Experiences  161 

guns  and  shell  these  obstructions  until  openings 
had  been  made;  then  we  would  charge  through 
and  give  them  battle  at  close  range.  But  this 
sort  of  warfare  required  a  great  deal  of  time 
and  trouble,  and  greatly  retarded  our  progress, 
when  you  come  to  consider  the  fact  that  this 
sort  of  thing  occurred  every  few  days. 

From  the  time  we  arrived  in  this  part  of  the 
South  we  had  no  commissary,  and  were  obliged 
to  forage  for  our  subsistence,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  we  had  no  adjacent  base  of  supplies.  Lee 
was  in  possession  of  the  lower  half  of  Virginia, 
and  lay  between  us  and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
under  Grant,  so  we  had  to  shift  for  ourselves, 
just  as  Sherman's  army  did  on  its  march  to  the 
sea  farther  south. 

We  certainly  covered  the  ground  in  this  search 
for  food  and  there  was  little  that  escaped  us. 
The  "Johnny  Rebs"  were  daily  doing  the  same, 
and  I  cannot  imagine  how  the  inhabitants  of  that 
country  managed  to  exist  after  both  armies  had 
scoured  it  back  and  forth,  north  and  south,  east 
and  west,  for  almost  a  year. 

The  feast  which  Buckley  and  I  had  on  the 
guinea  hen  and  the  honey  was  the  last  one  we 
had  for  several  days;  in  fact,  we  did  not  have 
what  might  be  called  a  decent  sandwich  during 


162  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

that  time.  The  first  night  we  spent  at  the  planta- 
tion across  the  river,  as  related,  we  hoped  to  find 
something,  but  the  "Rebs"  had  been  ahead  of 
us,  and  had  made  a  clean  sweep  of  everything  in 
the  shape  of  grub.  The  next  day  Buckley  and  I 
foraged  far  and  near  without  finding  anything 
to  eat,  and  at  night  we  ran  across  an  old  de- 
serted cabin  and  lodged  therein.  Out  in  the  rear 
of  the  cabin  where  there  had  recently  been  a 
garden,  which  at  that  time  was  devastated  and 
ravaged  of  everything  in  the  vegetable  line,  we 
found  three  cauliflower  stalks,  which  might  have 
been  called  a  ghostly  remnant.  That  night  we 
feasted  on  one  of  these  stalks,  our  sole  bill  of 
fare.  The  next  two  days  we  fared  no  better,  each 
night  returning  to  the  cabin  and  duplicating  the 
meal  of  the  first  night,  or  shall  we  call  it  a  repast? 
Nothing  then  remained  in  that  garden  but  weeds. 
The  next  morning  we  bestirred  ourselves  early, 
and  ran  across  a  cabin  where  we  found  three 
women,  and  I  at  once  asked  whether  they  had  any 
food  for  sale,  although  the  prospect  did  not  look 
promising.  They  told  me  that  the  only  grub 
in  the  house  consisted  of  two  'johnny  cakes,"  and 
I  immediately  made  a  bid  of  three  dollars  for 
those  two  cakes,  producing  the  money  as  I  made 
the  offer.  To  our  great  joy  my  bid  was  ac- 


War  Experiences  163 

cepted,  and  the  deal  closed  instanter.  Of  course 
the  money  was  Confederate,  but  it  was  the  coin 
of  the  realm  down  there.  We  made  short  work 
of  those  two  "johnny  cakes"  and  thereby  relieved 
our  famishing  stomachs.  That  day  we  moved 
on  and  fared  a  little  better. 

We  moved  over  into  the  coast  country  again, 
and  visited  some  of  the  big  rice  plantations.  Here 
we  found  forage  in  abundance.  One  night  while 
we  were  camped  in  a  big  rice  field  the  "Rebs" 
played  a  "Johnny"  trick  on  us.  During  the  night 
while  we  were  peacefully  snoozing,  they  turned 
the  water  on  the  rice  field,  and  by  morning  we 
were  standing  almost  knee  deep  in  water.  We 
did  not  move  about  during  the  night,  since  we 
could  not  tell  which  way  to  move  with  safety. 
At  dawn  the  army  broke  for  high  ground,  which 
was  then  discernible,  and  a  mighty  welcome  sight 
We  were  in  a  fighting  mood  just  then,  and  not 
finding  any  army  to  attack,  we  took  our  spite 
out  on  some  of  the  people  who  had  played  the 
trick  on  us,  the  stay-at-home  "Rebs."  We  burned 
every  house  for  miles  around,  and  moved  on  to 
other  fields  and  plantations. 

Many  humorous  incidents  fell  across  our  path- 
way, some  of  which  are  too  good  to  leave  un- 
recorded. 


164  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

One  day  while  Buckley  and  I  were  out  forag- 
ing we  espied  an  enormous  black  object  in  the 
distance,  apparently  wallowing  through  the  brush 
along  a  small  stream  near  the  coast.  We  could 
not  determine  the  breed  of  this  animal,  as  we 
supposed  it  to  be,  until  it  came  nearer;  but  we 
waited  patiently  until  it  approached  nearer  to  the 
hillock  on  which  we  stood  watching  it.  Imagine 
our  surprise  when  we  found  it  to  be  an  enormous 
black  negro  woman,  called  a  "wench"  in  that 
country.  She  was  indeed  a  ludicrous,  if  some- 
what pitiful,  sight.  She  was  much  more  than 
the  proverbial  phrase  "half  naked"  imports,  and 
in  one  sense  of  the  situation  her  master  might 
have  felt  himself  justified  in  not  keeping  her 
fully  clothed,  for  I  am  sure  it  would  have  taken 
twenty-five  yards  of  calico,  or  any  other  such  ma- 
terial, to  make  her  a  simple  wrapper.  This  negro 
woman  was  the  largest  specimen  of  the  African 
family  I  have  ever  seen,  and  would  easily  have 
tipped  the  scales  at  five  hundred  pounds. 

Before  we  discerned  that  she  was  a  human 
being,  the  only  creature  we  could  think  of  was 
a  hippopotamus,  but  we  knew  that  they  were 
natives  of  African  rivers,  and  consequently  a  long 
way  off.  When  we  finally  perceived  that  she 
was  a  negro  woman,  we  were  convulsed  with 


War  Experiences  165 

laughter  at  her  movements.  She  waddled  along 
at  a  very  good  pace  considering  her  great  weight 
and  bulk.  When  she  approached  us  we  saw 
that  she  had  been  fishing,  and  that  she  had  a 
goodly  string  of  nice  looking  fish,  which  she 
informed  us  were  "salt  watah  suckahs."  I  wished 
to  buy  them,  and  asked  her  if  she  would  sell  them. 
She  replied  by  asking  me  a  question:  "Does  you 
want  to  buy  'em,  massa?"  I  told  her  that  I 
would  give  her  a  dollar  for  them,  and  she  re- 
plied: "O  yes,  massa,  you  can  hab  de  fish,"  and 
the  fish  were  ours. 

This  poor  woman's  skin  was  so  tanned  and 
burned  by  the  sun  and  exposure  that  it  resembled 
nothing  so  much  as  the  scaly  hide  of  an  elephant. 
If  I  could  have  secured  the  services  of  this  lady 
the  following  year  for  my  show,  I  think  she  would 
have  proved  a  drawing  card. 

But  she  was  not  the  only  specimen  of  the  genus 
homo  that  I  discovered  who  would  have  served 
me  well  in  that  capacity.  I  saw  two  young  mu- 
latto girls,  who  were  twins,  and  they  were  the 
only  ladies  of  color  whom  I  ever  fell  in  love 
with.  They  were  albinos,  very  light  of  color, 
possessing  snow  white  hair  and  pink  eyes.  They 
were  finely  featured,  and  would  have  been  a 
splendid  addition  to  any  show  or  museum. 


166  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

In  the  same  neighborhood  where  I  saw  these 
ladies  I  found  an  old  gentleman  who  told  me 
that  he  was  a  hundred  and  five  years  old,  and 
that  he  had  lived  in  that  vicinity  all  his  life. 
He  pointed  out  a  mound  in  the  pine  wood,  upon 
which  he  asserted  that  he  had  made  tar  in  his 
boyhood,  and  since  that  time  a  pine  tree  had 
grown  thereon  which  at  the  time  I  saw  it  was 
thirty  inches  in  diameter.  He  would  have  been 
a  valuable  accession  to  a  show  anywhere. 

At  one  big  plantation  I  discovered  two  young 
colored  gentlemen,  "bucks,"  as  they  were  called 
in  that  country,  who  were  kept  by  their  lordly 
master  for  sporting  purposes  solely.  They  were 
gladiators,  and  this  old  Nero  loved  to  see  them 
fight.  But  their  method  of  warfare  was  certainly 
a  novel  one.  They  got  into  a  ring  for  the  onset, 
with  heads  down  like  young  bulls,  and  then  they 
came  together  head  on.  And  the  way  those  heads 
came  in  contact  with  each  other  caused  anxiety  to 
the  uninitiated  onlooker,  who  was  viewing  the 
sport  for  the  first  time.  The  contact  of  those  heads 
caused  a  loud  popping  sound  which  might  have 
been  heard  for  fully  a  block  away.  No  other 
tactics  were  permitted.  To  strike  or  grapple  with 
each  other  was  a  "foul"  which  would  not  be  tol- 
erated by  the  referee  of  the  contest.  Nothing  but 


War  Experiences  .    167 

"butting"  was  allowed,  and  they  made  the  air 
resound  with  the  sound  of  their  heads  knocking 
together. 

The  soldiers  enjoyed  the  sport  so  much  that 
they  kept  them  in  action  almost  half  the  night. 
Of  course  the  negroes  were  rewarded  from  time 
to  time  by  loose  coins  thrown  toward  them  after 
each  round,  which  they  scrambled  for,  much  like 
the  street  urchins  of  a  big  city  do  today.  When 
questioned  as  to  whether  the  sport  gave  them  sore 
heads,  they  replied:  "O  no,  massa,  we  do  it 
ebery  day  fo'  massa!" 

At  another  plantation  we  ran  across  a  young 
negro  woman  who  was  fully  six  feet  tall,  very 
slim,  and  as  supple  as  a  human  being  ever  could 
become.  She  called  herself  the  "Yuba  dancer," 
and  her  master  kept  her  for  dancing  exhibitions 
solely.  She  certainly  could  perform  all  sorts  of 
dancing  stunts  and  maneuvers,  and  kept  the  boys 
amused  for  hours  at  a  time. 

The  negroes  were  in  most  deplorable  condition 
throughout  the  entire  South,  and  were  very  scant- 
ily clad.  But  abject  as  their  condition  was,  it 
was  infinitely  better  than  that  of  the  poor  white 
class  in  that  country.  The  plantation  owner 
was  obliged  to  feed  and  house  his  negroes  in 
some  fashion,  but  nobody  was  bound  to  provide 


168  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

these  necessities  for  the  poor  whites.  They  had 
to  shift  for  themselves,  and  they  had  nothing  to 
shift  with.  They  had  been  compelled  by  dire 
necessity  to  work  for  a  pittance,  so  could  never 
accumulate  any  property. 

At  one  place  I  recall  seeing  a  small  factory 
where  about  twenty-five  of  these  women  were 
employed  in  weaving  butternut  cloth  by  means  of 
hand  and  foot  looms.  They  were  a  pitiable 
sight,  and  did  not  earn  more  than  enough  to  pay 
for  their  food  and  poor  clothing. 

I  never  had  any  serious  bad  luck  while  out 
foraging,  except  on  one  occasion,  and  I  must  not 
overlook  this  experience.  One  day  I  ran  into  an 
old  outhouse  on  a  plantation  in  the  hope  of  dis- 
covering something  good  to  eat,  and  there  spied 
a  barrel  in  which  had  been  some  salt  fish.  The 
brine  was  yet  in  the  barrel,  and  I  supposed  of 
course  that  there  were  fish  in  it  also,  so  ran  my 
hand  and  arm  into  the  brine  in  trying  to  locate 
them.  But  it  was  indeed  a  trap  to  catch  a  sucker, 
and  I  bit.  There  was  not  a  fish  in  that  barrel, 
and  had  not  been  for  many  a  day,  which  I 
learned  to  my  sorrow.  The  odor  with  which  this 
spoiled  brine  impregnated  my  coat  and  shirt 
sleeve  was  simply  unendurable,  and  the  boys 
threatened  to  drum  me  out  of  the  camp.  I 


War  Experiences  169 

changed  shirts,  but  the  coat  sleeve  was  on  the 
outside,  and  as  bad  as  ever,  so  I  was  obliged 
to  cut  off  the  sleeve  of  the  coat  to  pacify  the 
boys.  Limburger  was  a  whiff  from  Paradise  com- 
pared with  the  overpowering  odor  of  that  sleeve. 
That  was  the  only  time  I  got  the  worst  of  it 
while  prying  into  people's  provision  houses  while 
out  on  the  forage. 

I  forgot  to  tell  another  good  joke  on  myself, 
relating  to  picket  duty.  On  one  occasion  I  was 
sent  out  to  a  swampy  locality,  and  nobody  came 
to  relieve  me  as  was  customary.  I  stayed  with  the 
job  for  two  days  and  nights,  and  finally  while 
sitting  on  a  log  I  feel  asleep,  and  at  the  same  time 
fell  backwards  into  a  quagmire.  When  I  finally 
got  hold  of  the  log  and  pulled  myself  out  I  was 
wet  and  muddy  from  head  to  foot.  I  immediately 
made  up  my  mind  to  report  to  my  superior  offi- 
cer, of  whom  I  demanded  to  know  why  I  had 
not  been  relieved  as  usual.  He  thought  I  must 
be  mistaken,  or  laboring  under  some  delusion. 
Investigation,  however,  proved  that  I  was  correct, 
and  I  was  promptly  relieved  in  more  ways  than 
one.  I  told  him  that  I  had  spent  two  days  and 
nights  out  there  where  there  was  nothing  doing, 
and  I  wanted  to  be  transferred  to  some  scene  of 
action  in  the  future.  He  agreed  with  me  in  this 


170  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

particular,  and  I  was  not  assigned  to  picket  duty 
in  that  locality  again. 

While  in  the  vicinity  of  Raleigh,  North  Caro- 
lina, we  discovered  a  very  fine  plantation  home, 
which  at  that  time  was  inhabited  by  its  lordly 
owner  and  his  wife  and  beautiful  daughter.  He 
possessed  a  large  amount  of  this  world's  goods, 
which  had  not  hitherto  taken  wings  and  flown 
away,  but  which  were  soon  enough  loaned  wings 
of  "blue"  and  flew  away  with  our  army. 

Mules  and  horses  were  promptly  appropriated, 
his  wagons  filled  with  corn  and  driven  away, 
and  his  oxen  butchered  and  served  up  for  food 
for  the  officers.  He  had  in  the  neighborhood  of 
thirty  valuable  young  negroes  of  the  male  gender, 
and  about  a  dozen  males  and  females  who  were 
somewhat  older;  some  of  them  were  house  serv- 
ants of  a  very  valuable  kind.  His  sheds  and 
granaries  were  well  stocked  with  provisions  and 
provender,  and  his  cellar  was  filled  with  good 
things  to  gratify  the  appetite  of  man.  Upon  in- 
vestigation we  found  that  an  effort  had  been 
made  to  hide  some  of  these  good  things  before  we 
arrived. 

But  all  of  this  work  came  to  naught,  as  usual  in 
such  cases,  for  the  soldiers  were  the  best  grub 
detectives  that  ever  lived.  They  had  tried  out  all 


War  Experiences  171 

possibilities  in  the  hiding  line  on  hundreds  of 
occasions,  and  were  not  to  be  deceived  here. 

They  soon  discovered  a  spot  of  fresh  earth  in 
the  yard,  which  had  been  carefully  sodded  over 
again,  and  probes,  in  the  shape  of  bayonets  and 
ramrods,  were  speedily  inserted.  Then  came  the 
man  with  the  shovel,  instead  of  the  "hoe,"  and 
he  got  into  action  immediately.  In  the  army  a 
goodly  number  carried  shovels  as  well  as  muskets, 
and  most  useful  articles  they  proved  to  be,  since 
they  were  used  for  a  multitude  of  purposes,  among 
which  might  be  enumerated,  digging  trenches, 
making  embankments  and  fortifications,  and,  last 
but  not  least,  unearthing  hidden  grub. 

One  of  these  men  with  the  shovel  soon  un- 
covered half  a  barrel  of  as  fine  old  applejack  as 
ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  a  soldier,  or  any  other 
gentleman,  and  canteens  as  well  as  thirsty  throats 
were  filled  as  long  as  a  drop  remained.  Buckley 
and  I  did  not  overlook  filling  our  canteens,  of 
that  you  may  be  sure. 

The  chickens,  geese,  ducks,  turkeys,  guineas 
and  other  fowls,  of  which  there  were  several  hun- 
dred choice  specimens,  had  been  carefully  hidden 
under  the  floors  of  the  negro  houses  by  command 
of  the  master  of  the  plantation.  But  prompt  and 
pointed  cross-questioning  of  the  young  negroes  by 


172  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

experienced  soldier  investigators  soon  revealed 
their  location,  and  sharp  commands  compelled  the 
production  of  the  hidden  fowls.  Many  of  these 
escaped  in  the  process,  but  they  were  soon  over- 
taken. The  old  negroes  gave  countermanding  or- 
ders, but  the  young  "bucks"  were  afraid  to  obey 
them.  The  presence  of  numerous  guns  seemed  to 
have  "a  commanding  influence"  over  the  situation, 
as  Judge  Gary  once  said  of  the  activity  of  his  cor- 
poration on  the  steel  industry  of  the  country.  It 
was  just  so  with  this  steal  company. 

Buckley  and  I  had  arrived  at  the  plantation 
ahead  of  the  other  boys  and  visited  the  house  first, 
where  we,  of  course,  inquired  for  food,  and  were 
abundantly  provided  with  the  choicest  viands  that 
had  fallen  to  our  lot  since  we  left  Cincinnati. 
The  master  of  the  plantation  had  viewed  our 
coming  from  a  distance,  and  was  so  thoroughly 
frightened  that  speech  failed  him,  but  his  good 
wife  and  daughter  made  up  for  his  seeming  lack 
of  hospitality. 

They  apparently  divined  that  we  were  not 
marauders  at  heart,  and  implored  us  to  save 
their  magnificent  mansion  from  destruction,  an 
edifice  which  had  cost  doubtless  more  than  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  While  we  were  moved  to  com- 
passion by  their  plea,  we  advised  them  that  we 


War  Experiences  173 

could  not  promise  anything  in  this  respect,  but 
that  we  would  do  our  utmost  to  save  it  from 
destruction  at  the  hands  of  our  comrades.  We 
put  up  a  ruse  which  by  rare  good  fortune  worked 
like  a  charm,  and  the  mansion  was  saved.  We 
patrolled  the  great  gallery  in  measured  tread  all 
day  long,  as  though  detailed  for  that  purpose  by 
some  superior  officer,  and  no  comrade  presumed 
to  question  our  authority  or  to  enter  the  house, 
although  they  ran  about  the  premises  and  un- 
earthed all  of  the  good  things  as  I  have  already 
related.  We  spent  the  night  sleeping  on  the 
gallery  and  had  a  royal  breakfast  as  our  reward. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  second  day  we  con- 
tinued at  the  post  of  our  self-imposed  duty  as 
on  the  previous  day,  until  our  army  was  miles 
beyond,  and  there  no  longer  remained  any  danger 
from  that  source. 

During  our  stay  we  had  ample  opportunity 
to  study  our  hosts,  and  it  was  a  pleasing  impression 
which  we  formed  of  this  interesting  family.  The 
master  and  his  wife  were  past  fifty  years  of  age, 
and  both  highly  educated  and  cultured  people. 
The  young  daughter  had  been  well  educated,  and 
was  an  accomplished  musician,  as  we  could  testify 
from  the  music  which  reached  our  ears  on  the 
evening  we  spent  on  the  gallery.  I  recall  very 


174  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

distinctly  that  she  was  robed  in  a  very  brilliant 
hued  silk  dress,  and  her  mother  was  equally  well 
gowned. 

The  father's  tongue  did  not  loosen  up  until  the 
next  morning,  when,  doubtless  for  the  first  time, 
he  felt  confident  that  our  ruse  would  save  his 
mansion.  He  then  became  very  friendly  and 
affable.  At  that  time  I  possessed  more  than  three 
hundred  dollars  in  Confederate  currency,  and  I 
proposed  a  trade  with  him,  in  case  he  had  any 
of  our  greenbacks,  which  was  often  the  case  with 
such  persons.  The  proposition  suited  his  humor, 
and  as  he  had  almost  an  equal  amount  of  our 
currency,  we  made  an  even  "swap,"  as  the  "John- 
nies" always  termed  an  even  exchange. 

When  the  time  arrived  for  our  departure,  in 
order  that  we  might  rejoin  our  army  before  it 
got  too  far  ahead  of  us,  these  good  people  filled 
our  haversacks  with  all  the  food  that  we  could 
possibly  carry,  and  bade  us  God-speed  with  the 
fervently  expressed  hope  that  we  would  safely 
return  to  our  homes  when  the  great  struggle  was 
ended,  which  we  all  sincerely  hoped  would  not 
be  long  delayed. 

This  was  indeed  a  pleasant  incident  which  gave 
us  at  close  range  a  view  of  Southern  character 
in  that  station  of  life,  and  we  did  not  forget  it. 


War  Experiences  175 

I  also  fully  realized  that  this  country  was  in 
reality  the  native  heath  of  my  own  ancestors  on 
my  mother's  side  of  the  house,  and  that  the 
Marion  family  in  the  years  gone  by  were  noted 
for  their  kindly  disposition  and  gentility.  History 
has  rarely  recorded  the  virtues  of  a  nobler  char- 
acter than  General  Francis  Marion,  who  was 
always  just  to  his  enemies  and  the  poor  Indians. 

Our  boys  were  indeed  glad  to  unite  with  Sher- 
man's victorious  army  at  Columbia,  and  there  was 
general  rejoicing.  We  were  now  merged  into 
his  great  army,  which  met  little  opposition  in  any 
direction.  The  city  of  Columbia  was  a  hotbed 
of  the  rankest  type  of  "Johnnies"  at  home  that 
we  had  ever  run  across,  and  their  reception  was 
so  lacking  in  cordiality,  and  their  hostility  so 
tactlessly  impressed  upon  us,  that  it  left  a  bad 
taste  in  our  mouths,  and  provoked  results  which 
might  not  otherwise  have  come  to  pass.  As  a 
result  of  mutual  bad  feeling  the  city  of  Columbia 
was,  in  the  language  of  the  ancients,  "sacked  and 
burned"  before  we  moved  northward. 

We  proceeded  leisurely  through  the  country 
until  we  reached  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina, 
taking  prisoners  on  every  hand.  There  was  no 
united  opposition  presented.  The  enemy  seemed 
split  into  wandering  bands,  many  of  whom  volun- 


176  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

tarily  surrendered  themselves  rather  than  con- 
tinue the  useless  struggle.  These  were  disarmed 
and  sent  to  the  wagon  train  in  the  rear  as 
prisoners  of  war,  where  they  were  well  treated. 
Everybody  felt  sorry  for  them,  worn,  half  clothed, 
many  barefoot  and  thoroughly  exhausted  by  the 
long  conflict. 

At  Goldsboro  we  learned  that  Lee  had  sur- 
rendered at  Appomatox,  and  that  the  great  con- 
flict was  ended.  This  was  welcome  news  to  all, 
for  it  meant  the  end  of  fighting,  killing,  maiming, 
marching,  foraging  and  living  like  beasts  of  the 
field,  and  it  meant  much  more — it  meant  the 
return  to  home  and  dear  ones  far  away. 

We  marched  northward  immediately,  our  route 
taking  us  through  Petersburg  and  Richmond, 
Virginia,  and  then  on  to  Washington. 

At  Petersburg  we  saw  the  whole  country  cut 
up  with  trenches,  embankments,  and  tunnels, 
mute  reminders  of  the  terrible  struggle  which 
had  taken  place  during  the  siege  and  bombard- 
ment of  that  place,  one  of  the  most  sanguinary  in 
the  history  of  the  war,  if  not  that  in  the  world. 

I  remember  viewing  the  effects  of  a  big  solid 
shot  from  one  of  our  largest  siege  guns.  It  had 
struck  in  the  middle  of  a  highway  and  dug  a 
trench  six  feet  wide  for  a  fifth  of  a  mile,  then 


War  Experiences  177 

slid  along  the  surface  of  the  highway  for  quite 
a  distance,  and  stopped  as  though  laid  by  human 
hands.  We  buried  numbers  of  dead  army  mules 
in  this  ready  manufactured  trench,  and  had  plenty 
of  room  to  spare. 

At  Richmond  we  saw  the  notorious  old  Libby 
Prison,  where  so  many  "boys  in  blue"  endured 
terrible  punishment  and  suffering,  and  hundreds 
died  an  awful  death  by  starvation,  but  we  could 
not  tarry  at  this  time  to  investigate,  since  our 
orders  were  to  push  on  to  Washington  as  speedily 
as  possible,  which  we  did. 

We  arrived  there  in  June  and  participated  in 
the  grand  review  of  the  armies  of  the  nation, 
the  greatest  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

I  was  sick  in  the  army  hospital  there  for  two 
weeks,  but  was  out  in  time  for  the  review,  which 
I  enjoyed  as  much  as  any  other  of  its  participants, 
who  all  felt  that  we  were  homeward  bound.  A 
great  many  thousands  of  the  boys  were  discharged 
and  sent  home  from  this  city,  but  our  detached 
corps  was  sent  to  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

I  was  sick  again  at  that  place  and  in  the 
hospital,  and  gradually  all  my  comrades  were 
discharged  and  sent  home,  save  Buckley  and 
another  comrade,  and  when  we  were  finally  able 
to  travel,  we  hurried  to  our  dear  old  homes  in 


178  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

Michigan  as  fast  as  the  train  could  carry  us. 

We  arrived  at  home  during  the  latter  part  of 
July,  and  there  was  great  rejoicing  at  our  home- 
coming. We  were  truly  overjoyed  at  our  recep- 
tion and  welcome,  although  it  was  mingled  with 
the  tears  of  loved  ones  who  could  not  suppress 
the  pent-up  flood  of  emotions  which  now  over- 
came them;  but  happily  they  were  tears  of  joy, 
not  sorrow,  such  as  many  other  households  bit- 
terly endured,  and  the  sunshine  of  joy  speedily 
replaced  them,  and  happiness  reigned  supreme. 


CHAPTER  V 

A  PIONEER  SHOWMAN 

During  the  year  in  which  I  was  recuperating 
after  the  war  I  was  looking  about  for  some  field 
of  work  where  there  might  be  an  opportunity 
to  reap  financial  rewards  with  less  hard  work 
than  I  had  found  necessary  in  the  lumbering 
business. 

My  attention  was  directed  to  the  opportunities 
a  natural  museum  or  menagerie  might  offer  by 
a  summer  garden  which  a  friend  of  mine  was 
then  operating  in  Saginaw,  and  in  which  the 
principal  attraction  was  a  number  of  wild  ani- 
mals. As  a  result  of  my  observations  in  the  fall 
of  1866,  I  purchased  a  number  of  animals  for 
the  purpose  of  operating  a  traveling  menagerie 
and  show.  Nearly  all  of  these  animals  were 
natives  of  the  State  of  Michigan.  As  nearly  as 
I  can  now  recall  them  there  were  one  bear,  two 
moose,  two  elk,  two  deer,  two  otter,  two  gray 
wolves,  one  black  wolf,  two  lynx,  two  bobcats, 
three  porcupines,  one  buffalo  calf,  two  timber 
badgers,  one  streaked  badger,  two  raccoons,  and 


180  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

seven  kinds  of  rabbits.  In  the  bird  line  I  had 
three  eagles,  three  white  owls,  two  gray  owls,  two 
English  pheasants,  and  one  horned  rooster. 

As  a  special  attraction  I  bought  a  white  Nor- 
mandy hog  which  was  raised  by  a  friend  of  mine 
in  an  adjoining  town.  This  hog  weighed  fifteen 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  pounds,  was  ten  feet  and 
five  inches  in  length,  and  three  feet  and  ten  inches 
in  height.  I  billed  this  hog  in  my  advertising 
literature  as  a  white  elephant,  and  I  never  heard 
anybody  complain  about  being  disappointed  in 
this  little  fake.  The  truth  is  they  were  as  much 
interested  in  the  extraordinary  hog  as  they  would 
have  been  in  a  white  elephant,  and  I  would  prob- 
ably have  fared  just  as  well  if  I  had  told  the 
exact  truth  in  every  particular.  It  would  have 
excited  just  as  much  curiosity. 

In  those  days  traveling  shows  were  real  pioneer 
propositions,  for  there  were  no  railroads  to  trans- 
port our  show  and  the  cities  were  few  and  far 
between;  the  truth  is,  there  were  not  many  well- 
built  roads  in  those  days.  There  were  about  one 
hundred  miles  of  mud  road  to  every  mile  of 
turnpikes,  and  the  latter  were  all  toll  roads  which 
had  been  built  by  some  company  or  association 
and  operated  for  a  profit,  just  like  the  steam  roads 
are  now.  We  had  no  palace  cars,  but  we  built 


A  Pioneer  Showman  181 

some  very  substantial  wagons  on  that  plan  as 
near  as  we  knew  how,  and  they  were  very  com- 
fortable even  if  they  were  minus  the  luxuries  of 
the  Pullman  coaches.  We  also  had  our  cooking 
and  dining  coach,  and  it  served  the  purpose  ad- 
mirably. 

I  also  engaged  the  services  of  a  concert  and 
dramatic  troupe  in  Detroit  to  round  out  our  pro- 
gram of  public  entertainment.  Later  I  intro- 
duced many  special  features  which  at  that  time 
were  new  and  caught  the  public  fancy,  such  as 
ventriloquism  and  a  number  of  trick  perform- 
ances, among  which  were  the  Marionettes,  Punch 
and  Judy,  the  Hindoo  Mystery  Box,  the  Red 
Dwarf,  the  Princess  Fatima,  and  many  others 
which  I  originated  myself. 

We  gave  our  first  performance  at  the  County 
Fair  at  Flint,  Michigan,  and  scored  a  rousing 
success.  The  financial  returns  were  so  good  that 
I  was  greatly  encouraged  with  the  undertaking. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  season  we  made 
the  round  of  numerous  county  fairs  in  Michigan, 
and  the  intervening  towns  and  cities.  We  were 
warmly  received  on  every  hand,  and  the  George 
S.  Wellington  shows  began  to  acquire  a  reputation 
which  was  quite  flattering  to  a  novice  at  the  busi- 
ness. My  operations  during  that  fall  netted  me 


182  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

over  seven  thousand  dollars,  including  horses, 
wagons  and  equipment.  I  was  greatly  elated  with 
the  success  of  the  business  and  made  my  plans 
for  a  wider  tour  through  Michigan,  Ohio,  Ken- 
tucky, and  Indiana,  as  my  next  field  of  opera- 
tion. 

The  following  spring  we  started  out  through 
Michigan,  then  through  Indiana  and  Ohio,  wind- 
ing up  the  season  in  the  late  fall  at  Louisville, 
Ky.  This  season  I  carried  a  small  circus  with 
me,  and  had  abundant  success  during  the  entire 
season.  During  the  winter  at  Louisville  I  oper- 
ated a  sort  of  continuous  museum,  circus,  and 
concert  performances  every  afternoon  and  even- 
ing, and  managed  to  pay  expenses,  which  was  con- 
sidered very  good,  as  most  shows  were  usually 
out  of  business  at  that  time  of  the  year  and  the 
menagerie  a  constant  expense. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  I  started  early  on  a 
tour  of  Indiana.  The  weather  was  rainy  and  the 
roads  were  terrible,  in  fact,  almost  impassable. 
As  a  consequence  we  ran  behind  our  schedule  all 
the  time  and  our  patronage  was  almost  nothing, 
since  people  will  not  patronize  tent  shows  in 
rainy  weather.  It  takes  a  fine  day  to  fill  the 
pockets  of  the  proprietor  of  the  traveling  circus 
with  coin  of  the  realm. 


A  Pioneer  Showman  183 

We  got  as  far  as  Indianapolis  during  the  month 
of  June  and  our  expenses  had  been  so  heavy  that 
I  was  actually  insolvent,  and  to  avoid  bankruptcy 
I  sold  five  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  animals, 
my  entire  menagerie,  to  Adam  Forepaugh,  and 
thus  eliminated  that  feature  of  my  program. 

I  kept  my  horses,  wagons,  and  a  seventy-five 
foot  tent,  and  continued  in  the  circus  and  concert 
show  business.  We  spent  the  rest  of  the  season 
traveling  through  Indiana  and  Michigan.  The 
weather,  however,  continued  bad  during  the  en- 
tire season,  and  I  lost  money  every  day.  To 
keep  the  thing  moving  I  mortgaged  my  last  prop- 
erty in  Michigan,  and  finally  lost  that.  At  the 
end  of  the  season  I  was  bankrupt  and  had  no 
further  ambition  to  operate  a  traveling  circus 
and  menagerie  over  the  mud  roads  of  the  country, 
but  I  had  not  lost  my  love  for  the  business, 
and  some  years  later  under  more  favorable  cir- 
cumstances I  made  "big  money,"  to  use  the 
language  of  showmen.  There  were,  as  you  may 
well  imagine,  a  great  many  humorous  experiences 
in  this  sort  of  a  life  and  some  of  them  must  not 
be  overlooked. 

At  Jackson,  Michigan,  a  smartly  dressed  gentle- 
man was  greatly  interested  in  fooling  a  bear  which 
was  chained  to  a  wagon,  and  his  method  of  pro- 


Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

was  to  hold  a  sack  of  peanuts  high 
the  reach  of  the  bear,  to  whom  they 
ry  appetizing.  Mr.  Bear  stood  the  strain 
as  he  was  able,  and  when  the  temp- 
>ecame  too  strong  to  be  resisted  longer, 
hed  out  his  paws  and  drew  the  man 
him  and  proceeded  to  climb  up  the  gen- 
frame,  as  he  would  a  tree,  for  the  pea- 
H[e  obtained  the  peanuts  and  devoured 
eedily,  but  the  gentleman  who  had  found 
\  fun  in  teasing  him,  retired  hurriedly  to 
his  damaged  trousers  and  plaster  over  his 
r  cuticle,  for  the  hind  claws  of  Mr.  Bear 
etrated  his  anatomy  just  above  the  knees. 
z  traveling  through  Northern  Indiana  an 
;  incident  occurred.  A  very  jovial  white- 
old  gentleman  visited  the  inside  of  my  tent 
srnoon  and  inquired  the  price  of  admis- 
le  finally  advised  me  that  he  desired  to 
is  whole  family  to  the  show,  but  said 
had  no  money,  and  then  followed  the 
it  by  making  a  proposition  to  deliver  to 
Ive  bushels  of  wheat  as  the  price  of  ad- 
5  for  his  entire  family,  which  he  stated 
very  large  one.  As  wheat  was  at  that 
rth  a  dollar  a  bushel,  and  could  be  cashed 
ie  local  mill,  I  accepted  his  proposition, 


A  Pioneer  Showman 

and  when  they  turned  up  at  the  entrance  i 
tent  that  evening,  there  were  over  seventy  p 
who  passed  in  under  his  protecting  wing  of  f 
hood. 

I  learned  they  were  all  bona  fide  descen 
and  the  next  night  I  was  very  agreeably  sur] 
to  see  all  of  them  come  again,  but  this  time 
individual  paid  the  price  of  his  own  adm 
my  old  patron  warmly  commending  my  per 
ances,  and  saying  that  he  found  them  most 
esting. 

In  traveling  through  the  country  in  those 
by  horse  power  our  progress  was  very  slov\ 
in  the  meantime  both  man  and  beast  must 
perish.     We  were   in   no   danger  of   the 
considering  the  prices  of  food  which  pre1 
everywhere  through  the  country-side.    Ye  < 
ers  of  the  cities,  listen  to  these  prices  of 
We  bought  juicy  round  steaks  at  six  ceni 
pound,  bread  at  three  cents  the  loaf,  brown 
at  three  cents  per  pound,  potatoes  ten  cen 
bushel,  cabbages,  onions,  turnips,  radishes,  \ 
kins,  squashes  and  other  vegetables  were 
us  in  great  quantities  for  a  few  complim< 
tickets.    When  passing  apple  and  peach  ore 
a  simple  request  would  result  in  the  resj 
"Take  all  you  want,"  or  "Help  yourselves, 


186  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

we  certainly  appreciated  the  cordiality  and  warm- 
heartedness of  the  good  people  of  the  country. 
Oats  for  our  horses  sold  at  sixteen  cents  per 
bushel,  and  hay  at  four  dollars  per  ton.  We  lived 
on  the  fat  of  the  land  every  day,  and  enjoyed  the 
living. 

I  recall  one  instance,  however,  where  we  got 
the  worst  of  the  bargain,  but  took  it  in  good 
humor  nevertheless.  The  joke  at  our  expense  was 
too  good  to  do  otherwise. 

It  had  been  a  day  of  slow  travel  over  bad 
roads,  and  we  were  unable  to  reach  the  town 
we  were  billed  for,  so  contented  ourselves  by 
stopping  at  a  country  cross-roads  for  the  night, 
where  we  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention 
from  the  nearby  residents  of  the  locality.  In- 
quiring of  a  bystander  as  to  a  likely  place  to 
buy  eggs,  a  country  lady  told  us  that  she  had 
a  goodly  store  of  the  fruit,  and  would  part 
with  them  gladly  for  the  market  price  of  five  cents 
per  dozen  and  deliver  them;  which  she  did  and 
received  the  stipulated  compensation.  The  cook 
in  due  time  proceeded  to  make  use  of  the  eggs, 
or  rather  endeavored  to  do  so,  but  more  than 
fifty  per  cent  of  them  popped  like  pistols  when 
broken  open,  and  the  stench  was  so  strong  about 
the  camp  after  the  basketful  had  been  tried  out 


A  Pioneer  Showman  187 

that  we  had  to  move  the  wagons  some  ten  rods 
farther  down  the  road  to  avoid  the  odor  of  the 
spoiled  fruit.  We  did  not  obtain  enough  good 
eggs  out  of  the  entire  basketful  to  go  around. 
We  did  not  soon  forget  this  experience,  and  it 
was  a  source  of  merriment  for  many  a  day.  In 
fact,  we  thought  of  it  whenever  eggs  were  on 
the  bill  of  fare. 

But  think  of  the  prices  of  produce  then  as 
compared  with  those  of  today.  At  that  time 
almost  anyone  could  buy  enough  to  last  a  whole 
year  with  the  money  that  is  expended  in  a  month 
today  in  the  great  cities  of  the  country.  The 
high  cost  of  living  was  not  worrying  the  citi- 
zenship of  the  land  as  it  is  now.  Men  had 
not  generally  degenerated  into  the  wage  slaves 
of  the  capitalist  slave  drivers,  and  the  mar- 
kets and  industries  had  not  yet  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  exploiting  and  gambling  criminals, 
nor  the  beef  cattle  into  the  clutches  of  the  ring 
of  great  packers;  consequently  everybody  had 
the  necessary  money  to  buy  food  at  reasonable 
prices,  and  nobody  went  hungry. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PIONEER  STEAMBOATING 

After  my  disastrous  experience  in  the  show 
business  I  did  not  long  remain  idle.  I  im- 
mediately made  up  my  mind  to  build  a  steam- 
boat and  engage  in  commerce  on  the  Great 
Lakes.  This  was  in  the  late  fall  of  1868.  Just 
at  that  time  capital  began  to  interest  itself  in 
the  great  pineries  of  my  native  state,  hitherto 
virtually  untouched.  There  has  never  been  any- 
thing in  the  history  of  the  lumbering  business 
of  this  or  any  other  country  to  compare  with 
the  gigantic  operations  along  the  Saginaw  River 
and  its  tributary  rivers  and  creeks. 

Millions  of  acres  of  virgin  pine  of  enormous 
size  lay  on  either  side  of  this  broad  and  slug- 
gish old  Indian  stream,  and  for  forty  or  fifty 
miles  on  either  side  of  it.  Prior  to  this  time 
Michigan  had  virtually  been  little  more  than  a 
pioneer  state  of  the  backwoods  type,  save  for  a 
few  urban  localities  and  the  lower  tier  of 
counties.  Now  great  sawmills  sprang  up  as  if 


Pioneer  Steamboating  189 

by  magic  all  along  the  Saginaw  River.  Thou- 
sands of  lumberjacks  built  great  logging  camps 
in  the  great  pineries  on  every  hand;  and  soon 
the  axe  and  saw  in  their  hands  began  their  work 
of  felling  the  giant  pines  that  had  been  hun- 
dreds of  years  in  the  making,  and  every  creek 
emptying  into  the  river  was  filled  for  miles  with 
great  rafts  of  logs  to  be  floated  down  to  the 
mills.  The  Saginaw  River  teemed  with  active 
life  as  it  never  had  before,  and  probably  never 
will  again.  Steamboats,  schooners  and  masted 
vessels  of  every  description  appeared,  a  veritable 
fleet,  to  carry  away  the  golden  harvest  of  lum- 
ber, a  richer  treasure  by  far  than  California's 
far-famed  mines  of  pure  gold;  and  it  took  almost 
thirty  years  of  continuous  operations  on  a  gigantic 
scale  to  exhaust  the  supply.  At  one  time,  for 
thirty  miles  on  either  side  of  the  Saginaw  River 
sawed  lumber  was  stacked  in  piles  twenty  feet 
high,  awaiting  the  advent  of  vessels  to  carry 
it  away  to  the  markets  of  the  nation,  and  to  dis- 
tant shores  as  well. 

Dimly  foreseeing  this  development,  I  went 
to  East  Saginaw,  and  during  the  winter  of  1868 
and  1869  I  built  a  steamboat,  which  I  christened 
"The  Wolverine"  in  the  spring  of  1869,  and 
operated  her  successfully  on  the  Great  Lakes 


Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

1  the  fall  of  that  year,  when  I  sold  her  at 
andsome  profit,  deciding  to  try  steamboating 
the  lower  Mississippi. 

therefore  went  to  Venus,  a  little  town  on  the 
.sissippi,  opposite  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where 
ing  the  winter  of  1869  and  1870  I  built  a 
mboat,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year 
istened  her  the  "Minnie  E.  Streeter,"  in  honor 
ny  wife,  who  did  not  long  thereafter  honor 
by  her  presence,  for  she  decamped  suddenly 
lout  notice,  carrying  with  her  seven  hundred 
ars  of  my  hard-earned  cash  and  accepted  an 
agement  on  a  vaudeville  circuit.  I  did  not 

her  again  for  some  twelve  years,  during 
ch  time  I  secured  a  divorce. 

operated  this  vessel  very  successfully  on  the 
:at  Father  of  Waters,  and  on  the  Ohio  and 
nberland  rivers  for  a  period  of  three  years, 
dling  merchandise  and  transporting  pas- 
rers  every  day.  I  ran  as  far  south  as  New 
cans  and  up  the  Ohio  to  Cincinnati,  and 

Cumberland  to  Nashville,  Tenn.  I  surmise 
:  during  this  time  I  encountered  every  experi- 
*  incident  to  such  life,  and  many  strange, 
;ting,  and  humorous  incidents  fell  to  my  lot, 
:w  of  which  I  will  endeavor  to  relate,  just  to 
;  you  a  glimpse  of  the  changing  scenes  of 


Pioneer  Steamboating  19 

that  curious  life  of  so  many  years  ago,  whe 
watercraft  played  a  large  part  in  the  transport; 
tion  problems  of  the  nation. 

One  incident  that  I  recall  very  clearly  haj 
pened  shortly  after  my  arrival  at  the  wharf  ; 
St.  Louis,  where  my  vessel  was  at  that  tim 
anchored.  The  war  was  over,  but  it  seems  ha 
not  been  forgotten  by  an  old  "Johnny  Reb,"  wh 
learned  in  some  manner  unknown  to  me  that 
had  been  a  "Yank,"  and  when  I  stepped  out  o 
the  wharf  this  old  "Reb",  without  any  provoc; 
tion  whatever,  greeted  me  with  the  remarl 
"We've  killed  bettah  men  than  you  ah  dow 
heah!"  It  did  not  take  me  many  seconds  1 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  spoiling  fc 
a  fight,  and  I  accommodated  him  without  an 
further  parley.  In  fact,  I  did  not  even  speak  1 
him.  I  had  him  down  on  the  wharf  and  sut 
jected  to  a  state  of  decency  and  decorum  in  vei 
short  order. 

On  another  occasion,  an  ex-Confederate  caj 
tain,  who  was  serving  at  that  time  in  th 
capacity  of  a  deputy  United  States  marshal, 
very  unwilling  guest  at  the  mess  table,  aske 
me  what  I  thought  of  McClellan  as  a  genera 
and  I  told  him  that  I  thought  McClellan  w; 
the  worst  rebel  in  the  Union  army. 


192  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

My  reply  seemed  to  enrage  him,  and  he 
whipped  out  a  revolver  and  tried  to  aim  it  at 
me,  making  a  loud  threat  that  he  intended  to 
finish  my  career  then  and  there;  but  I  had 
divined  his  purpose  when  he  made  the  motion 
of  drawing  his  revolver,  and  slipping  to  the 
floor  grabbed  up  a  gun  that  was  within  my 
reach,  and  covered  him  before  he  could  take 
aim  at  me.  I  made  him  drop  the  revolver  and 
took  possession  of  it,  and  drove  him  out  on 
the  deck,  where  I  made  him  stay  for  several 
days,  not  even  permitting  him  to  sleep  in  his 
bunk.  In  fact,  he  stayed  there  until  he  was 
recalled  by  his  superior  officer. 

When  he  left  the  boat  he  concluded  that  he 
would  even  up  the  score  with  me.  I  had  been 
foolish  enough  to  return  his  revolver  to  him, 
thinking  that  I  was  about  to  end  our  relations,  and 
that  we  would  part  company  peacefully.  As 
soon  as  he  had  got  over  the  bulwarks  of  the 
boat  and  onto  the  wharf,  he  pulled  out  his 
revolver  and  began  shooting  at  me,  and  never 
stopped  until  he  had  emptied  the  cylinder,  but 
fortunately  for  me  every  bullet  went  wide  of  the 
mark.  I  did  not  carry  a  weapon,  and  the  only 
thing  within  my  reach  was  a  jar  of  raspberry 
jelly,  which  I  immediately  hurled  at  him  with 


Pioneer  Steamboating  193 

all  the  strength  of  both  hands.  My  aim  proved 
better  than  his,  for  the  jar  struck  him  squarely 
on  the  top  of  the  head  and  he  rolled  over  on 
the  wharf  as  though  dead.  He  was  un- 
conscious, and  after  several  minutes  had  elapsed 
I  feared  that  he  was  not  going  to  regain  con- 
sciousness, so  I  had  my  men  bathe  his  head  and 
face  with  water,  and  use  such  methods  as  we 
were  familiar  with  to  revive  him.  But  he  did 
not  respond  to  such  mild  treatment  and  I  finally 
called  a  carriage  and  sent  him  to  the  hospital, 
where,  I  was  afterward  informed,  he  was  laid 
up  for  three  or  four  months  with  concussion  of 
the  brain.  I  never  saw  him  after  that,  and 
trust  that  he  regained  his  usual  health. 

A  humorous  incident  fell  to  my  lot  while  I 
was  transporting  flour  from  Evansville  to  Ches- 
ter. My  boat  got  stuck  one  day  on  a  rock  in 
the  river  and  I  couldn't  get  it  off  with  the  load 
I  had  on  and  with  the  force  of  men  at  my  dis- 
posal, so  I  decided  to  return  to  the  city  and 
get  the  necessary  assistance.  On  my  way  there 
afoot  I  was  obliged  to  go  through  a  piece  of 
woods,  where  I  was  attacked  by  an  enormous 
boar  running  at  large,  and  just  saved  my  bacon 
by  shinning  up  a  tree,  where  I  was  kept  a 
prisoner  for  fully  two  hours,  when  his  pigship 


194  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

grew  tired  of  the  sport  and  sauntered  away  into 
the  woods,  to  look  for  more  promising  game. 

I  lost  no  time  in  getting  out  of  that  locality, 
but  I  had  not  gone  very  far  until  I  got  into 
trouble  again.  I  saw  along  the  river,  which  at 
that  time  was  almost  dry,  great  pools  of  water 
which  were  barely  connected  with  each  other 
by  threads  of  running  water,  and  all  about  this  it 
looked  muddy  and  swampy.  In  one  of  these 
pools  I  saw  an  enormous  catfish,  larger  in  fact 
than  I  was,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
wanted  that  fish.  So  I  disrobed,  and  selecting  the 
biggest  and  strongest  club  I  could  find,  I  waded 
out  to  the  pool  where  he  lay,  or  rather  where 
he  was  trying  to  push  himself  through  the 
muddy  water  from  one  pool  to  the  next  nearest 
one.  He  was  making  slow  progress,  and  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  reaching  him. 

But  I  made  the  mistake  of  trying  to  head 
him  off,  and  got  directly  in  front  of  him  in 
order  to  land  the  most  effective  blow  I  could 
on  his  head.  I  thought  one  lick  would  do  the 
work;  but  instead  of  finishing  him,  it  finished 
me.  He  gave  one  tremendous  lunge  forward  out 
of  the  mud,  and  struck  me  square  on  the  chest. 
The  force  of  the  contact  toppled  me  over  back- 
ward into  the  mud  and  slush  in  which  I  was 


Pioneer  Steamboating  195 

completely  immersed,  and  put  an  end  to  any 
further  desire  to  fool  with  that  fish.  In  fact,  I 
did  not  scrape  all  the  mud  out  of  my  eyes  for 
several  minutes  afterward. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  my  efforts  to 
get  rid  of  that  mud  in  order  to  resume  my 
clothing.  It  was  fully  two  hours  before  I  could 
start  again.  I  finally  slipped  into  the  rear  en- 
trance of  a  hotel  and  got  cleaned  up  before 
showing  myself.  I  then  collected  a  force  of 
men  and  returned  to  the  boat,  which  we  finally 
succeeded  in  getting  off  the  rock,  after  we  had 
removed  about  twelve  hundred  barrels  of  flour 
to  the  shore  by  means  of  the  yawl.  Then  we 
had  the  task  of  getting  it  back  again  on  the 
steamboat  before  we  could  proceed  on  our  way 
to  Chester.  But  I  have  never  forgotten  that  day 
of  ludicrous  situations,  and  I  think  I  have 
laughed  over  them  a  thousand  times.  I  never 
had  as  many  piled  upon  me  in  the  same  length 
of  time  before  or  since. 

At  that  time  there  was  plenty  of  wild  game 
everywhere  along  the  Mississippi.  I  have  many 
times  stood  on  the  deck  of  my  boat  and  shot 
deer  looking  curiously  at  our  craft,  from  the 
shore  and  from  islands  in  the  river. 

On  one  occasion  while  -we  were  passing  a  big 


196  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

eddy  I  saw  the  body  of  a  dead  man  floating  on 
top  of  the  water,  and  lowered  a  boat  and  rowed 
over  to  him.  I  finally  got  hold  of  the  body  and 
was  trying  to  lift  it  carefully  so  that  I  could 
get  it  into  my  boat,  when  it  was  suddenly  jerked 
out  of  my  grasp  by  some  unseen  agency.  On 
close  inspection  I  discovered  that  a  big  trot  line 
with  hook  attached  was  fast  to  the  hand  of  the 
dead  man  and  that  the  other  end  of  it  could 
not  be  seen.  From  this  fact  I  figured  out  that 
a  big  fish  or  some  other  water  creature  must 
also  be  on  the  line.  So  I  worked  more  carefully 
in  my  next  endeavor  to  get  the  body  into  the  boat, 
and  finally  succeeded. 

Then  I  had  a  fight  with  that  unseen  force  at 
the  other  end  of  the  line,  and  it  was  a  couple  of 
hours  before  he  was  worn  out  and  finally  landed. 
It  proved  to  be  an  enormous  catfish,  fully  as 
large  as  the  man  whom  he  had  succeeded  in 
pulling  overboard  and  drowning.  The  unfortu- 
nate fisher  had  been  seated  in  a  small  boat,  and  at 
the  first  plunge  of  the  big  fish  fell  into  the  water 
and,  not  being  able  to  swim,  soon  drowned,  while 
the  boat  drifted  quickly  away.  We  turned  the 
body  over  to  the  authorities  and  gave  them  all  the 
information  we  possessed.  We  never  learned 
whether  he  was  identified  or  not. 


Pioneer  Steamboating  197 

One  night  while  my  boat  was  tied  up  at 
"Island  Number  Ten,"  where  a  few  short  years 
before  the  great  battle  was  fought  between  the 
Union  and  Confederate  gunboats  and  batteries 
of  the  forts,  I  witnessed  a  strange  accident,  which 
never  would  have  been  explained  if  I  had  not 
been  present. 

A  big  barge  loaded  with  sand  was  anchored 
along  shore,  and  I  recall  that  a  very  large  tree 
overhung  this  barge,  and  that  the  bank  upon 
which  the  tree  was  growing  had  been  under- 
mined greatly  by  the  rushing  waters,  which 
caused  the  tree  to  lean  over  the  river  at  a  sharp 
angle.  During  the  night  I  heard  a  big  steam- 
boat coming  up  the  river,  and  from  the  sounds 
floating  through  the  air  from  its  direction,  and 
from  what  happened  shortly  afterward,  I  am 
satisfied  that  every  soul  on  board  was  drunk. 
The  steamboat  was  plowing  along  at  a  rapid 
rate  in  close  proximity  to  the  bank,  and  ran 
into  the  barge,  upon  which  a  solitary  man  was 
stationed,  and  which  sank  to  the  bottom  of  the 
river  like  a  rock.  I  knew  that  the  man  on  the 
barge  must  be  in  the  river  and  ran  to  the  rail 
of  the  boat  and  called  to  him  in  loud  tones. 
He  was  struggling  in  the  water,  but  managed  to 
grasp  the  pole  which  I  held  out  to  him,  and  I 


198  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

finally  succeeded  in  getting  him  on  board  my 
steamboat.  In  the  meantime  the  steamboat  which 
sank  his  barge  continued  on  up  the  stream  with- 
out a  pause,  while  the  shouts  and  sounds  of 
music  and  dancing  floated  back  to  us  on  the 
breeze. 

Fortunately  for  the  owners  of  the  barge,  I 
had  secured  the  name  of  this  steamboat,  and 
they  were  afterward  able  to  recover  damages 
from  its  owners.  The  next  morning  I  discovered 
that  the  big  tree  which  had  on  the  previous  day 
overhung  the  barge  was  also  missing,  so  the  boat 
must  have  been  traveling  pretty  close  to  the 
bank,  at  least  close  enough  to  topple  it  over. 
The  banks  of  the  river  at  this  point  were  so 
steep  and  high  that  it  was  impossible  for  a 
man  to  clamber  up  them,  and  my  struggling 
friend  would  undoubtedly  have  perished  in  the 
Great  Father  of  Waters  but  for  my  watchful- 
ness and  timely  aid. 

New  Orleans  was  a  very  beautiful  city  in 
those  days,  and  a  very  busy  one,  but  in  the 
business  in  which  I  was  engaged  I  naturally 
saw  more  of  the  river  front  than  of  any  other 
portion,  and  that  consisted  principally  of  negroes, 
watermelons,  sugar  and  cotton.  There  were 
thousands  of  black  roustabouts  engaged  in 


Pioneer  Steamboating  199 

handling  sugar  barrels  and  cotton  bales  on  the 
wharves;  and  it  was  an  interesting  sight  to  see 
them  loading  and  unloading  vessels  all  day  long 
and  far  into  the  night.  There  were  hundreds 
of  little  pickaninnies  on  every  hand,  and  they 
were  certainly  an  interesting  sight.  It  was  dif- 
ficult to  determine  which  they  loved  better,  brown 
sugar  or  ripe  watermelon. 

I  recall  an  occasion  on  which  I  saw  four 
little  bareheaded  and  barefooted  pickaninnies  en- 
gaged in  devouring  a  huge  watermelon  fully 
three  feet  long,  which  probably  cost  them  about 
ten  cents,  and  for  which  they  had  no  doubt 
blacked  a  good  many  pairs  of  boots.  The  man- 
ner in  which  they  gobbled  up  this  watermelon 
could  only  be  compared  to  that  of  so  many  little 
pigs.  The  melon  was  split  in  two  the  long  way 
and  lying  on  the  ground.  A  part  of  the  time 
the  little  black  youngsters  had  pieces  of  the 
watermelon  in  their  mouths,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  time  they  had  their  mouths  in  the  melon, 
playing  the  role  of  pigs  to  perfection.  This 
was  before  the  day  of  snapshot  cameras,  con- 
sequently I  was  not  able  to  preserve  the  pic- 
ture, save  in  my  memory,  but  I  would  give 
a  good  many  dollars  if  I  now  had  a  genuine 
reproduction  of  this  scene,  as  well  as  of  many 


200  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

other  scenes  which  I  saw  in  that  Southern 
metropolis. 

These  little  blacks  were  almost  as  numerous 
as  flies  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sugar  barrels,  and 
there  was  nearly  always  an  abundance  of  the 
latter  about  the  wharves.  Quite  often  a  barrel 
or  hogshead  would  be  short,  or  the  barrel  in- 
jured in  some  way,  and  in  either  case  its  con- 
tents would  be  emptied  onto  a  large  tarpaulin 
until  the  barrel  was  fixed  or  the  deficiency  in 
sugar  made  up,  as  the  case  might  be.  These 
little  blacks  were  always  looking  out  for  just 
such  an  opportunity  as  this,  and  no  occasion  of 
the  kind  ever  escaped  them.  They  always 
managed  to  grab  a  few  handfuls,  and,  as  soon 
as  opportunity  offered,  they  were  sure  to  crawl 
into  the  hogshead  or  barrel.  All  the  time,  how- 
ever, they  would  be  busily  engaged  in  prying  off 
hardened  cakes  of  sugar  from  its  staves,  for 
usually  the  inside  of  such  barrels  was  very 
thickly  plastered  with  them,  since  the  sugar 
was  always  very  damp  when  shoveled  into  the 
barrels. 

When  driven  out  of  the  barrels  and  hogsheads 
these  little  darkies  presented  a  novel  sight;  their 
hands,  feet,  faces,  hair,  and  what  little  clothing 
they  usually  wore,  were  plastered  with  a  good 


Pioneer  Steamboating  201 

coat  of  sugar,  which  was  sometimes  almost  in  a 
molasses  state.  But  little  did  they  care,  for 
the  flies  soon  overwhelmed  them  with  evi- 
dences of  keenest  affection.  I  have  seen  many 
lying  among  the  cotton  bales  literally  covered 
with  flies.  Any  other  human  being  would  be 
unable  to  sleep  a  minute  under  such  conditions, 
but  the  flies  did  not  hold  it  within  their  power 
to  disturb  the  siestas  of  these  happy-go-lucky 
little  blacks. 

In  the  river,  north  of  the  city,  there  was  at 
this  time  a  veritable  flatboat  town,  where  hun- 
dreds of  flatboats  were  moored  to  the-  banks,  and 
stores  and  shops  of  every  character  flourished 
thereon.  It  was  a  strange  and  novel  life  they 
led  under  these  conditions,  and  not  conducive 
to  good  citizenship  in  the  least. 

I  remember  one  boat  dweller  and  his  son,  a 
couple  of  Greeks,  who  conducted  a  little  plaster  of 
paris  art  figure  factory  on  their  boat;  and  I  became 
passingly  acquainted  with  them,  having  visited 
their  boat  more  out  of  curiosity  than  aught  else. 

One  night  I  was  awakened  by  screams  and 
the  noise  of  a  commotion  in  the  Greek  house- 
boat, and  with  the  engineer  of  my  boat  I  made 
a  hurried  trip  to  the  scene  of  the  noise.  Here 
we  surprised  a  burly  negro  in  the  very  act  of 


202  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

killing  the  Greek  boy.  We  covered  the  negro 
with  our  revolvers  and  took  him  prisoner,  and 
then  learned  that  he  had  already  murdered  the 
father  of  the  boy  with  a  large  iron  bar  with 
which  he  was  trying  to  kill  the  son  when  we  ar- 
rived on  the  scene.  The  boy  had  been  struck 
once  by  a  glancing  blow  of  the  bar,  but  had 
managed  to  escape  the  full  force  of  it.  In 
the  negro's  pockets  we  found  the  money  of  the 
dead  Greek,  and  we  turned  him  over  to  the 
proper  authorities  some  three  or  four  hours 
later.  He  was  given  a  speedy  trial  and  found 
guilty  by  a  jury  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged. 
We  did  not  tarry  to  see  the  sentence  carried 
out,  but  learned  that  he  was  duly  executed  in  the 
name  of  the  law,  which  we  trust  was  dignified 
thereby. 

I  finally  had  a  good  offer  for  the  "Minnie  E. 
Streeter,"  and  as  I  was  at  that  time  ill  with  a 
fever,  I  sold  the  boat  at  a  profit  and  closed  out 
my  operations  on  the  lower  Mississippi.  I  then 
went  to  South  Chicago,  where  I  built  a  boat 
which  I  christened  "Catherine."  This  boat  I 
operated  for  a  few  months  on  the  Great  Lakes  and 
then  sold  out  at  a  handsome  advance  on  her  cost. 


CHAPTER  IX 

IN  THE  NEW  WEST 

Shortly  after  the  sale  of  the  "Catherine"  I 
went  to  Bedford,  Iowa,  where  I  started  a  livery 
stable  and  omnibus  line,  and  put  up  a  substantial 
hotel  building,  which  I  operated  as  soon  as  com- 
pleted. I  made  many  friends  among  the  citizens 
of  this  thriving  young  city  and  the  traveling 
public  as  well.  But  I  made  an  enemy  of  the 
rival  hotel  proprietor,  who  also  operated  an 
omnibus  line,  because  I  carried  all  passengers  to 
the  hotels  free  of  charge,  while  he  operated 
strictly  for  profit.  So  he  made  up  his  mind  that 
he  would  put  me  out  of  business  by  foul  means 
since  he  could  not  by  fair. 

He  had  a  big  rawboned  young  fellow  by  the 
name  of  "Mont  Crabb"  as  his  omnibus  driver, 
and  he  soon  stirred  him  up  to  provoke  a  fight 
with  me,  which  was  staged  on  the  platform  of 
the  railroad  station.  Crabb  was  younger  and 
much  larger  than  I,  and  he  gave  me  a  hard 
fight  up  and  down  the  platform  for  several 
minutes,  but  I  finally  succeeded  in  knocking 


204  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

him  out,  and  he  immediately  resigned  his  job 
and  bothered  me  no  more.  Then  a  big  negro 
from  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  a  nearby  city,  was 
hired  for  the  purpose  of  retiring  me  from  the 
business,  and  I  afterward  learned  the  exact 
amount  that  he  was  paid  for  the  piece  of  work. 
One  morning  at  the  depot  a  traveling  man 
handed  me  his  grip  and  stepped  into  my  omnibus. 
At  the  same  instant  the  colored  fellow  grabbed 
the  handle  of  the  grip,  and  attempted  to  take  it 
from  me.  He  finally  pulled  so  hard  that  his 
end  of  the  handle  gave  way,  and  I  was  pulling 
so  hard  in  the  other  direction  that  when  his 
weight  was  removed  the  grip  flew  entirely  over 
the  top  of  the  'bus  and  landed  in  the  middle 
of  the  street,  then  deep  with  mud.  The  travel- 
ing man  protested  in  strong  language  at  such 
misuse  of  his  property,  but  at  that  time  I  had 
no  opportunity  to  mollify  him.  I  had  other 
business  to  attend  to  just  at  that  moment,  for  I 
knew  that  the  hour  of  conflict  between  the 
black  and  myself  was  at  hand,  and  I  lost  no  time 
in  getting  into  action. 

We  fought  all  over  the  platform,  raining  blow 
for  blow  upon  each  other  without  any  sign  of 
failing  strength  on  either  side,  and  without  either 
one  being  able  to  land  a  knockout  blow.  It  flashed 


In  the  New  West  205 

through  my  mind  at  this  juncture  that  I  had 
always  been  told  that  colored  men  could  be  hurt 
worse  by  a  blow  on  the  shins  than  by  one  on 
the  head,  so  I  concluded  this  was  my  chance  to 
try  out  the  experiment,  and  it  worked  like  a 
charm.  From  that  moment  on  his  eyes  began 
to  pay  more  attention  to  the  movements  of  my 
feet  than  to  my  fists,  and  by  and  by  I  caught 
him  napping  and  landed  a  blow  which  rolled 
him  off  the  platform  and  onto  the  steps  of  my 
'bus,  where  I  soon  reduced  him  to  a  state  of 
submission. 

This  was  the  longest  fight  I  ever  had  with  any 
one  man,  and  the  longest  I  ever  saw  with  one 
exception.  At  Windsor,  Canada,  I  saw  a  fight 
between  a  white  man  and  a  negro  which  lasted 
longer,  and  finally  resulted  in  the  death  of  both. 
When  these  two  men,  crazy  with  anger,  were 
unable  to  vanquish  each  other  without  weapons, 
they  seized  pitchforks  and  made  quick  work  of 
each  other.  Our  fight  lasted  for  fully  twenty 
minutes,  and  during  this  time  the  sympathies  of 
the  people  about  the  depot  and  on  the  train 
standing  nearby  were  warmly  manifested  in  my 
behalf,  doubtless  due  to  my  color,  and  the  fur- 
ther fact  that  I  was  much  the  smaller  man  of 
the  two. 


206  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

After  this  I  was  not  molested  in  the  operation 
of  my  'bus  line,  and  I  certainly  appreciated 
the  change  in  the  program,  for  I  did  not  desire 
any  controversy  of  the  kind  that  had  been  forced 
upon  me,  but  I  did  not  propose  to  be  driven 
from  an  honest  enterprise  by  threatening  and 
bulldozing  methods.  That  course  of  procedure 
never  worked  on  me,  as  I  think  a  number  of 
Chicago  gentlemen  can  well  testify. 

Iowa  and  northwestern  Missouri  were  com- 
paratively new  country  at  that  time,  and  formed 
the  rendezvous  for  many  notorious  characters, 
the  most  prominent  of  whom  were  the  James 
and  Younger  brothers,  whose  boyhood  homes 
were  in  the  wild  hills  of  that  part  of  Missouri. 
They  were  free  characters  throughout  all  that 
country  and  none  dared  molest  them,  for  the 
majority  of  the  people  of  that  locality  were  their 
friends  and  ready  to  aid  them  at  a  moment's 
notice.  In  fact,  they  were  really  popular  gentle- 
men, regarded  much  as  Robin  Hood  and  his 
band  were  by  the  common  folk  of  the  country 
throughout  which  they  operated,  and  among 
whom  they  found  safe  refuge  several  hundred 
years  ago. 

I  often  met  the  James  boys  at  Morgantown, 
Savannah,  and  St.  Joseph,  where  they  circulated 


In  the  New  West  207 

openly  and  made  no  effort  to  conceal  their 
identity. 

One  night  two  traveling  salesmen  from  Chi- 
cago, Billy  Perdue  and  Jack  Best,  were  stopping 
at  my  hotel  and  thought  they  would  like  to 
break  the  monotony  of  the  evening  by  attending 
a  dance  at  Morgantown,  a  few  miles  distant.  So 
they  hired  me  to  drive  them  to  that  place,  which 
I  did.  I  also  attended  the  dance,  since  I  was 
fairly  well  acquainted  in  the  vicinity.  The  James 
brothers  were  at  the  dance,  and  were  personally 
known  to  Best  and  myself.  We  presumed  that 
Perdue  knew  them  also ;  but  in  this  we  were  mis- 
taken, as  we  later  learned  to  Perdue's  sorrow. 

During  the  dance  Jesse  James,  who  in  some 
manner  unknown  to  any  of  us,  had  learned  that 
Perdue  had  collected  several  hundred  dollars 
for  his  firm  during  the  day,  approached  Perdue 
and  said,  "What  would  you  do  if  the  James 
brothers  were  to  tackle  you?"  Perdue  replied 
in  a  boasting  manner  that  he  would  take  care 
of  them,  not  knowing  the  identity  of  his  inter- 
locutor. Angered  by  his  remark  Jesse  James 
immediately  covered  Perdue  with  a  revolver,  at 
the  same  time  revealing  his  identity  to  him,  and 
ordered  him  to  hand  over  the  money  he  had  in 
his  possession.  Perdue,  who  was  much  frightened, 


208  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

produced  over  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
and  passed  it  over  to  the  American  Robin  Hood. 
James  then  gave  back  fifty  dollars  to  Perdue,  and 
told  him  to  pay  his  hotel  bill  and  wire  his  house 
that  he  had  been  robbed  by  the  James  brothers; 
and,  as  a  parting  word  of  admonition,  he  told 
Perdue  not  to  be  so  free  with  his  tongue  in  the 
future  when  he  was  among  strangers,  which 
advice,  the  latter  no  doubt  followed  forever 
after.  If  we  had  known  that  Perdue  was  un- 
acquainted with  the  presence  of  the  James 
brothers,  and  that  it  was  dangerous  to  talk  about 
them  in  that  community,  we  would  have  posted 
him  in  advance,  but  not  being  aware  of  his 
ignorance  we  had  given  him  no  warning. 

I  operated  the  hotel  and  livery  business  at 
Bedford  for  a  period  of  about  three  years,  and 
then  sold  the  livery  business  at  a  profitable  figure, 
and  shortly  afterward  a  stranger  unexpectedly 
made  me  an  offer  of  ten  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred dollars  for  my  hotel  and  furnishings,  and 
I  accepted  his  offer.  At  the  end  of  thirty  days 
the  deal  was  closed  and  he  paid  me  the  pur- 
chase price  in  cash  at  one  of  the  banks  of 
that  little  city.  I  then  told  my  sister,  who  was 
living  with  me  and  assisting  me  in  the  operation 
of  the  hotel,  to  pack  our  trunks  at  once,  since 


In  the  New  West  209 

I  had  decided  that  I  wished  to  go  to  Chicago. 
We  left  Bedford  and  I  have  never  since  visited 
the  place,  although  I  cherish  many  friendships 
I  made  during  my  three  years'  residence  there. 


CHAPTER  X 

ENTERTAINING  A  CHICAGO  PUBLIC 

On  my  return  to  Chicago  I  looked  about  for 
several  months  before  deciding  on  making  any 
business  investment,  and  finally  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  the  old  "Woods  Museum,"  already 
famous  as  a  place  of  local  entertainment. 

During  the  six  months  that  I  was  half  owner 
of  this  place,  such  famous  personages  as  Victoria 
Woodhull,  Tenny  C.  Claflin  and  many  others 
appeared  there.  The  latter  afterwards  married 
a  member  of  the  English  House  of  Lords,  who 
recently  died  and  left  her  an  enormous  fortune. 
She  was  one  of  the  pioneer  advocates  of  woman 
suffrage,  and  created  quite  a  furore  in  Chicago 
when  the  doctrine  was  then  new. 

After  a  few  months  I  sold  my  interest  in  the 
museum,  and  with  "Dutchy  Lehmann,"  visited 
many  fairs  throughout  the  country  during  the  fall 
of  that  year,  selling  our  wares  from  stands  after 
the  manner  of  modern  fakirs.  We  were  at  the 
Kansas  State  Fair  when  the  James  brothers 


Entertaining  a  Chicago  Public  211 

robbed  the  ticket  office  of  the  gate  receipts  of 
the  day,  and  accidentally  killed  a  young  woman 
with  a  stray  shot. 

On  our  return  to  Chicago  I  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  the  "Apollo  Theatre,"  then  a  very 
popular  place  of  amusement,  while  Lehmann 
opened  up  a  cheap  store  in  a  small  building  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  State  and  Adams  Streets, 
afterward  to  become  famous  as  "The  Fair";  but 
neither  of  us  had  any  premonition  of  its  coming 
prosperity  or  wonderful  development  Lehmann 
and  his  friends  always  patronized  my  places  of 
amusement,  as  did  "Old  Hutch,"  the  Wheat  King, 
Oscar  Fields,  George  M.  Pullman,  and  many 
other  famous  characters  of  that  day. 

Lehmann  had  an  English  floorwalker  at  this 
time  who  was  also  a  frequenter  of  my  theatre, 
and  he  proposed  a  novel  feature  on  one  occasion 
when  nothing  unusual  happened  to  be  booked 
for  the  evening.  He  wagered  a  hundred  dollars 
that  he  could  whip  any  dog  which  might  be  put 
into  the  ring  with  him,  accepting  all  comers,  and 
he  lived  up  to  his  contract  to  appear  ready  for 
business.  He  was  a  baldheaded  gentleman,  and 
met  the  dogs  'on  all  fours,  after  their  own 
standard;  but  all  of  them  declined  to  fight  when 
put  in  the  ring  with  him;  so  he  won  the  bet 


212  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

without  a  scrimmage.  The  police  had  been  in- 
terested spectators  of  the  bloodless  contest,  and 
after  the  close  of  the  entertainment  arrested  him, 
but  I  gave  bond  for  his  appearance  in  court  the 
next  morning. 

I  don't  even  remember  the  charge  placed 
against  him,  but  I  do  remember  the  questions 
propounded  to  him  by  the  court,  and  his  answers. 
The  scene,  though  brief,  was  better  than  the 
previous  evening's  entertainment.  The  judge's 
questioning  after  the  prisoner's  arraignment  pro- 
ceeded like  this: 

Q.  What  is  your  nationality?  A.  I  have 
none. 

Q.  What  country  were  you  born  in?  A.  I 
was  not  born  in  any  country. 

Q.  What  state  were  you  born  in?  A.  I  was 
not  born  in  any  state. 

Q.  What  city  were  you  born  in?  A.  I  was 
not  born  in  any  city. 

Q.  What  town  were  you  born  in?  A.  I  was 
not  born  in  any  town. 

The  court  at  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  was 
both  angry  and  disgusted,  and  made  no  effort 
to  conceal  it,  blurting  out  the  remark,  "Your 
fine  is  one  hundred  dollars!" 

The  prisoner,  not  in  the  least  perturbed,  then 


Entertaining  a  Chicago  Public  213 

said  to  the  court,  "Your  honor,  you  didn't  ask 
me  where  I  was  born." 

The  court,  then  following  this  cue,  addressed 
the  suggested  interrogatory  to  the  prisoner,  who 
replied,  "Your  honor,  I  was  born  on  the  high 
seas."  The  court  then  addressed  the  clerk  of  the 
court,  "Mr.  Clerk,  remit  the  fine";  and  to  the 
prisoner  he  said,  "You  are  discharged.  Go  home 
and  fight  all  the  dogs  you  wish  to." 

The  prisoner  then  thanked  the  court  and  joined 
his  waiting  friends,  among  whom  were  Lehmann 
and  myself,  who  joked  him  unmercifully  over 
the  affair,  which  he  took  good  humoredly. 

I  afterward  sold  the  Apollo  to  Mike  McDon- 
ald, at  a  handsome  profit,  and  retired  temporarily 
from  public  entertaining.  McDonald  made  an 
enormous  fortune  out  of  this  theatre  and  other 
kindred  ventures,  and  became  famous  in  his  old 
age  as  an  elevated  railroad  magnate.  He  has 
since  passed  away. 


CHAPTER  XI 

BATTLES  ON  THE  LAKE  FRONT 

After  these  days  of  amusing  the  public  were 
over  I  turned  my  attention  once  more  to  the  old 
love  and  lure  of  adventure  in  strange  lands,  or 
rather  I  made  preparation  to  do  so,  but  fate 
willed  that  my  adventures  were  to  be  nearer  at 
hand  and  of  an  entirely  different  character  than 
I  had  contemplated.  They  were  nevertheless 
sanguinary  enough  to  test  the  eternal  qualities  and 
the  fighting  caliber  of  any  man  who  ever  lived. 

I  had  met  an  old  friend,  Captain  Bowen,  who 
had  spent  many  years  in  Honduras,  and  during 
that  time  had  ingratiated  himself  with  the  govern- 
ment of  that  country,  securing  large  concessions 
of  land  and  a  commission  in  the  army  of  that 
new  republic.  He  advised  me  that  the  govern- 
ment very  much  desired  to  have  regular  steam- 
boats plying  on  certain  of  its  rivers,  and  that  if 
I  would  build  a  boat  for  that  purpose  and  navi- 
gate the  same  in  accordance  with  their  desires 
that  I  could  secure  a  very  large  grant  of  valuable 
land  and  ample  compensation  for  my  services,  and 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  215 

at  the  same  time  build  up  a  lucrative  business. 
The  plan  was  very  attractive,  and  during  the 
winter  and  spring  of  1886  I  built  a  steamboat, 
which  I  christened  the  "Reutan"  late  in  that 
spring.  I  determined  to  try  the  steamer  out  on 
Lake  Michigan  first,  and  fitted  her  out  for  pas- 
senger traffic,  making  regular  trips  to  Milwaukee 
and  other  local  ports  every  day  for  several  weeks. 

On  the  10th  day  of  July,  1886,  I  took  a  private 
party  to  Milwaukee,  and  during  the  trip  the  lake 
became  exceedingly  rough  and  stormy;  in  fact, 
so  much  so  that  the  party  decided  not  to  risk 
the  return  trip,  and  we  endeavored  to  return  to 
Chicago  alone.  By  the  time  we  reached  Racine 
we  encountered  a  terrific  storm  which  did  not 
abate  its  fury  for  many  hours,  and  by  that  time 
the  "Reutan"  was  a  badly  damaged  wreck  lying 
on  a  sandbar  off.  Chicago  harbor,  behind  the 
government  breakwater  on  the  north  shore. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  at  night  when  we 
drifted  near  the  breakwater,  and  just  at  this 
juncture  the  engine  broke  and  became  useless. 
We  were  then  at  the  mercy  of  the  wind  and 
waves,  helplessly  drifting  about.  Fortunately, 
or  unfortunately,  just  as  you  may  choose  to  judge 
by  subsequent  events,  the  wind  drove  us  behind 
the  breakwater,  narrowly  missing  a  collision  with 


216  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  pier.  Just  as  soon  as  we  were  clear  of  this 
danger  I  cast  anchor  overboard,  hoping  to  pre- 
vent the  steamer  from  running  aground  on  the 
beach.  But  the  sea  was  so  strong  that  it  not 
only  broke  over  the  boat  in  tremendous  waves, 
but  it  also  dragged  the  anchor  across  the  bottom 
of  the  lake,  which  at  that  point  was  not  very  deep. 

The  boat  finally  stranded  in  a  shallow  body  of 
water  when  four  hundred  fifty-one  feet  from  the 
shore.  This  was  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  following  day,  and  we  had  gone 
through  terrible  experiences  since  drifting  behind 
the  breakwater  shortly  after  ten  o'clock  on  the 
night  before.  During  this  interval  the  waves 
dashed  over  the  boat  hundreds  of  times  with 
terrific  force.  I  was  the  only  man  on  deck.  My 
wife  and  the  crew  were  driven  to  the  berths  for 
safety,  and  I  tied  a  strong  rope  about  my  waist 
and  resolved  to  witness  from  the  decks  whatever 
happened.  Twice  I  was  swept  overboard  by 
tremendous  waves,  but  managed  to  climb  back 
to  deck  overhand  after  the  wave  had  receded 
and  I  could  approach  the  boat  in  safety.  The 
waves  soon  dashed  in  every  door  of  the  cabins, 
and  swept  through  the  boat  from  end  to  end, 
and  from  side  to  side.  The  steamer  was  flooded. 

I  had  a  lifeboat  and  a  liferaft  on  the  vessel 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  217 

but  both  were  swept  overboard  and  landed  high 
and  dry  on  the  nearby  beach,  where  they  were 
noticed  by  friends  in  the  early  morning.  The 
furniture,  chairs  and  sofas  were  piled  up  against 
one  end  of  the  cabin  by  the  force  of  the  waves 
sweeping  through  the  inside  of  the  vessel. 
Finally  the  boat  was  pounded  so  hard  on  the 
sandy  bottom  of  the  lake  that  the  bottom  of 
the  boat  was  rent,  and  the  seams  of  the  hull 
opened  up.  After  this  it  soon  filled  with  water 
and  sand  and  sank  to  the  bottom,  which  for- 
tunately was  close  at  hand,  for  the  hull  was 
about  twelve  inches  above  the  water  line  after  the 
sea  had  subsided,  and  the  bulwarks  were  about 
two  feet  above. 

Shortly  after  dawn  friends  on  the  beach  dis- 
covered our  plight,  and  utilizing  our  lifeboat, 
which  they  found  thereon,  came  to  our  rescue 
and  brought  us  ashore.  By  this  time,  however, 
the  sea  was  abating  and  our  real  dangers  from 
that  source  were  over.  Our  rescuer  was  an  old 
friend  by  the  name  of  Dugan,  who  has  since 
passed  away. 

Investigation  proved  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  pull  the  boat  off  this  sandy  bar  with  a 
tug,  and  that  she  was  too  badly  damaged  in  her 
frame  and  bottom  to  float.  I  decided  that  this 


218  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

location  was  to  be  my  home,  and  I  have  never 
revoked  that  decision  from  that  day  to  this.  I 
did,  however,  make  plans  at  once  for  the  ulti- 
mate rescue  of  the  vessel,  which  I  knew  would 
be  a  hard  and  tedious  task;  but  I  had  often  en- 
countered difficult  tasks  and  consequently  this 
was  not  altogether  a  new  experience.  I  buckled 
down  to  the  work  very  shortly  thereafter.  I 
discovered  that  sand  had  drifted  and  banked  up 
considerably,  considering  the  space  of  time  that 
had  elapsed,  behind  the  boat,  that  is  between  the 
boat  and  the  shore.  I  concluded  that  I  would 
build  up  a  rock  wall  on  the  sea  side  of  the  boat 
and  thus  aid  the  deposit. 

I  then  entered  into  contract  with  several  ex- 
cavators and  contractors  who  had  refuse  stone  and 
brick  which  they  wished  to  dispose  of,  and  they 
brought  hundreds  of  loads  of  these  materials  to 
the  shore  at  the  point  nearest  to  the  vessel,  and 
I  there  reloaded  them  into  the  yawl  and  took 
them  out  and  dropped  them  around  the  boat. 
By  the  end  of  November  I  had  raised  a  bulwark 
about  the  vessel  which  had  caused  sand  to  fill  in 
entirely  beneath  it  so  that  I  could  put  jackscrews 
under  it  and  gradually  lift  it  above  the  water. 
During  this  process  I  was  also  filling  sand  be- 
neath the  boat  as  I  lifted  it  up  inch  by  inch. 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  219 

This  was  a  very  slow  process,  but  the  only  one  at 
my  command.  The  boat  was  now  three  feet  above 
the  water,  and  I  already  had  a  small  island  con- 
structed by  my  own  efforts,  which  island  was 
long  to  be  my  home.  In  the  meantime  I  had 
also  repaired  the  cabin  so  that  it  was  once  more 
habitable  and  free  from  all  evidences  of  the  ter- 
rible storm,  and  now  that  winter  was  at  hand 
we  felt  that  we  could  endure  the  rigors  of  that 
location  in  its  cozy  interior,  and  we  did.  For  we 
lived  in  the  boat  many  winters  and  summers. 

It  was  a  novel  sight,  however,  during  that  first 
winter.  The  sprays  of  every  storm  dashed  en- 
tirely over  the  vessel,  and  freezing  weather  gave 
our  home  a  complete  coating  of  ice  which  froze 
in  the  most  grotesque  figures.  It  was  indeed  a 
natural  curiosity,  and  friends  and  strangers  often 
came  down  to  us  across  the  ice  to  see  if  we  could 
really  survive  such  an  experience.  The  police 
came  frequently  to  see  us  during  the  first  winter, 
and  were  far  more  welcome  visitors  than  they 
afterward  became,  as  you  will  readily  under- 
stand by  and  by. 

This  boat  remained  our  home  until  the  spring 
of  1893,  by  which  time  I  had  thoroughly  re- 
paired and  relaunched  her,  and  rechristened  her 
as  well.  This  time  I  named  her  after,  my. wife, 


220  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

"The  Maria."  I  then  engaged  her  in  passenger 
traffic  from  the  city  to  the  World's  Fair  Grounds, 
and  enjoyed  a  very  profitable  and  pleasant 
patronage.  After  this  relaunching  of  the  vessel 
our  home  for  some  time  was  on  an  old  scow 
upon  which  I  had  built  a  two-story  cabin,  all 
of  which  stood  upon  the  ground  I  had  in  the 
meantime  constructed  and  built  up  from  the 
bottom  of  the  lake  until  it  stood  high  and  dry 
above  the  water,  a  process  which  I  shall  now 
describe,  as  well  as  the  extent  of  it. 

At  the  time  of  the  relaunching  of  the  vessel  I 
had  filled  in  all  of  the  space  between  my  boat  and 
the  shore  to  the  west  and  south,  and  much  far- 
ther to  the  northward,  as  well  as  more  than  thirty 
rods  to  the  east  and  northeast.  This  was  a  terri- 
tory of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres,  long 
known  to  everybody  in  Chicago  as  "Streeterville" 
and  as  the  "District  of  Lake  Michigan,"  the 
latter  name  having  been  given  to  the  tract  by 
myself,  the  former  by  the  people  of  Chicago  and 
vicinity  because  of  my  creation,  occupation  and 
ownership  of  it.  It  bears  both  names  to  this 
day,  not  only  among  the  people,  but  in  the  daily 
press,  the  public  records  and  documents  of  the 
city,  the  county  and  the  legislature  of  the  state 
of  Illinois. 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  221 

At  the  time  I  stranded,  building  operations  on 
a  grand  scale  were  in  operation  in  all  parts  of 
the  city  which  had  been  devastated  by  the  great 
fire  some  years  previous,  and  by  this  condition  I 
was  especially  favored.  Excavators  and  con- 
tractors were  very  desirous  of  obtaining  dumping 
grounds  as  near  as  possible  to  their  work  for  all 
superfluous  earth,  rock,  brick,  and  refuse  which 
were  of  no  use  to  them.  My  filling  operations 
were  particularly  inviting  to  them,  and  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  making  contracts  with  them  by 
which  I  received  millions  of  loads  of  refuse  and 
earth  with  which  to  fill  in  the  territory  about  my 
island  home,  as  I  have  already  related.  Some  of 
them  even  paid  for  the  privilege  at  an  agreed 
price  per  load. 

Notwithstanding  these  conditions  it  was  a  slow 
process,  owing  to  the  adverse  action  of  the  wind 
and  waves.  Sometimes  after  I  had  brought 
several  acres  above  the  water  line,  a  storm 
would  wash  them  away  in  a  single  night,  and 
I  would  then  be  obliged  to  fill  up  again  by 
the  same  slow  process  of  unloading  wagon  after 
wagon  for  weeks  at  a  time.  There  was  one 
recompense  flowing  from  these  disasters  of  the 
wind  and  waves ;  there  would  usually  be  uncovered 
considerable  quantities  of  lead,  zinc,  copper  and 


222  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

other  valuable  junk,  which  lying  exposed  in  the 
shallow  water,  I  soon  converted  to  possession. 
Occasionally  I  would  be  fortunate  enough  to  find 
silver  and  gold  coins,  which  at  that  time  came  in 
very  handy,  since  I  had  no  fixed  income.  I  real- 
ized, however,  that  I  was  building  a  very  valuable 
homestead  which  in  the  end  would  fully  repay 
me  for  the  expenditure  of  my  time  and  labor,  and 
I  am  yet  living  in  that  hope,  a  hope  which  has 
been  long  deferred  so  far  as  any  real  enjoyment 
of  my  possessions  is  concerned. 

After  I  had  virtually  completed  my  filling-in 
operations  as  related,  I  had  the  tract  surveyed 
and  platted,  and  it  was  at  this  juncture  that  I 
learned  of  the  displeasure  of  a  lot  of  millionaires 
who  imagined  that  the  time  was  ripe  to  engineer 
a  conspiracy  to  rob  me  of  my  hard  earned  prop- 
erty, and  their  operations  will  be  fully  detailed 
as  we  go  along  with  this  story  at  various  stages. 

At  the  time  I  was  stranded,  the  location  of 
some  of  the  homes  of  the  millionaire  colony  of 
the  North  Shore  were  not  particularly  valuable, 
nor  even  desirable  for  residence  purposes.  The 
entire  frontage  for  rods  back  from  the  shore  was 
low  and  swampy,  and  the  location  of  the  present 
palace  or  castle  of  the  Palmer  family  was  fa- 
miliarly known  as  the  "stink  pond,"  because  of 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  223 

the  universal  use  of  the  pond  there  to  throw 
garbage  and  dead  animals  into,  and  the  odor- 
iferous notoriety  of  the  location  as  a  natural 
consequence.  All  this  was  later  filled  in,  but 
it  was  for  many  years  an  undesirable  locality. 

And  while  we  are  surveying  this  locality  it 
might  be  well  to  tell  the  truth  about  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  gentlemen  who  afterward  claimed  to 
own  these  tracts  of  land.  All  of  them  were  in 
fact  "squatters"  far  beyond  the  meander  line  of 
the  lake,  but  that  fact  never  seemed  to  disturb 
them,  and  theirs  were  the  loudest  voices  to  pro- 
claim me  a  squatter  and  a  usurper,  when  as  a 
matter  of  fact  there  was  not  a  particle  of  land 
for  me  to  squat  on  when  I  was  stranded  at  the 
place,  as  I  have  related.  This  only  illustrates  the 
truth  of  the  old  saying  that  people  who  live  in 
glass  houses  will  often  be  foolish  enough  to  throw 
stones  at  others.  In  this  instance  the  hostility 
was  the  outcome  of  a  despicable  and  avaricious 
personal  greed  and  envy.  The  great  value  of 
all  the  lands  in  this  locality  was  the  result  of  the 
later  influx  of  thousands  of  people  in  close  prox- 
imity on  every  hand,  and  not  due  to  anything 
which  the  owners  did  upon  the  land. 

When  the  millionaires  came  to  realize  that  I 
was  indeed  a  landowner  they  immediately  set 


224  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

actively  to  work  to  form  a  conspiracy  to  rob  me  of 
my  possessions  by  fair  means  or  foul;  and,  as 
you  will  perceive,  their  efforts  were  confined 
principally  to  the  latter.  If  they  ever  made  a 
truly  lawful  move  I  never  heard  of  it,  and  cer- 
tainly none  of  them  had  any  vestige  of  claim 
which  was  worthy  of  the  least  legal  consider- 
ation to  a  particle  of  land  I  had  built  up  from 
the  sea.  I  will  demonstrate  this  more  fully  later 
on. 

Notwithstanding  the  existence  of  the  "Forcible 
Entry  and  Detainer  Statute"  since  the  days  of 
King  Richard,  several  hundreds  of  years  before, 
these  criminally  inclined  millionaires  thought 
their  sweet  wills  ought  to  be  superior  to  the  wis- 
dom and  justice  of  the  philosophy  which  under- 
lay this  statute,  and  which  had  been  recognized 
not  only  by  the  people  of  that  day,  but  by  the 
generations  which  had  succeeded  them. 

This  statute  forbade  landlords,  or  anyone  claim- 
ing the  right  of  possession  to  any  lands,  to  take 
the  law  into  their  own  hands  and  forcibly  dis- 
possess the  occupant,  but  compelled  them  in  all 
cases  to  institute  an  action  in  some  court  of 
proper  jurisdiction,  so  that  all  ejections  might  be 
obtained  by  due  process  of  law  alone,  and  not 
otherwise.  This  also  gave  the  occupant  his  day 


DISTRICT  OF 
LAKE  MICHIGAN  U-  S.  A. 

OFFICIAL  MAP 
O  m  of  Survey 

and  Subdivision  of  a  tract 
of  land  lying  east  of  and 

adjoining  Sections 
A       W  &  10  T.  39  N.R.  14  E. 
of  3rd  P.  M. 


River 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  22$ 

in  court,  and  none  but  outlaws  at  heart  have  ever 
at  any  time  disputed  the  justice  and  wisdom  of 
this  salutary  statute,  which  has  now  been  enacted 
into  the  statutory  law  of  every  state  in  the  Union. 

These  millionaires  dared  not  come  into  court 
and  bring  a  suit  to  dispossess  and  eject  me  under 
the  law,  because  they  could  not  show  that  they 
possessed  any  title  whatsoever  to  a  foot  of  this 
land,  hence  they  resorted  to  other  tactics  of  the 
unlawful  kind  and  character. 

Their  first  move  was  to  hire  numerous  thugs 
and  private  detectives  to  forcibly  dispossess  me, 
and  when  I  successfully  resisted  with  due  force, 
then  they  would  go  into  the  old  so-called  "justice 
shops"  and  charge  me  with  the  infraction  of 
petty  laws  of  the  misdemeanor  type,  such  as 
assault,  unlawful  assembly,  rioting,  disorderly 
conduct,  malicious  trespass,  and  a  host  of  similar 
offenses.  They  were  never  able  to  prove  any 
of  them  to  the  satisfaction  of  a  judge  or  jury, 
for  I  was  always  able  to  establish  the  fact  that 
they  had  come  down  there  to  forcibly  dispossess 
and  eject  me,  and  that  all  of  the  consequent 
trouble  had  arisen  over  my  defense  of  my  own 
home  and  the  rights  attendant  thereto. 

These  defeats  seemed  to  sting  the  millionaire 
colony  to  the  quick,  and  they  resorted  finally  to 


226  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

more  desperate  and  more  criminal  measures  in 
order  to  accomplish  their  infamous  purposes. 
They  did  not  come  quickly  to  this  latter  pro- 
gram. It  was  only  after  a  long  series  of  battles 
upon  the  land  and  subsequent  defeats  in  courts, 
that  their  murderous  purpose  was  finally  formed. 
Realizing  that  they  could  not  easily  eject  me  by 
hiring  these  bands  of  thugs  and  detectives  to  en- 
gage in  fisticuffs  with  me,  they  resolved  to  elim- 
inate me  entirely  from  the  scene  of  action  and 
from  this  earthly  life  as  well. 

Their  plan  was  to  have  a  gang  of  thugs 
and  detectives  of  bad  reputation  engage  me  in  a 
conflict,  and  while  I  was  thus  engaged  have  some 
trusty  on  the  outer  fringe  of  the  crowd  carefully 
pick  me  off  with  a  well  directed  shot,  and  thus 
forever  settle  my  claim  of  ownership  to  this  land. 
This  was  certainly  a  novel  scheme  to  adjudicate 
the  merits  of  the  controversy;  but  it  was  destined 
to  failure,  for  they  had  counted  not  only  without 
their  host,  but  without  the  necessary  knowledge 
of  human  nature  and  the  proneness  of  murder 
and  its  secrets  to  "out,"  as  has  been  said  from 
time  immemorial. 

Their  plans  were  well  laid,  but  they  did  not 
discover  the  janitor  of  their  club  house  lying  in 
such  a  position  that  he  overheard  the  whole  plan, 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  227 

in  which  he  was  not  a  participator  in  any  way. 
He  was  a  true  man,  and  while  he  did  not  wish 
to  openly  denounce  them  and  lose  his  position, 
he  did  not  wish  them  success  in  their  unholy 
endeavor,  and  soon  disclosed  their  plans  to  me 
under  promise  of  secrecy  on  my  part.  This  I 
readily  assented  to,  thankful  to  him  for  his 
humane  instincts  and  friendly  wishes,  though  an 
enemy  to  his  own  employers.  I  was  glad  to  get 
the  tip  and  thus  be  prepared  to  save  my  life. 

Their  plan  on  this  particular  occasion,  as  re- 
lated to  me  by  this  old  Swedish  janitor  of  their 
club,  was  to  have  a  gang  of  thugs  and  private 
detectives  visit  me  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing and  engage  me  in  conflict,  and  under  cover 
of  darkness  and  freedom  from  outside  inter- 
ference with  their  unlawful  acts,  and  also  from 
the  eyes  of  the  disinterested  world,  to  hand  me 
my  passport  to  the  Great  Beyond.  But,  as  I 
have  said  before,  they  counted  without  their  host. 
Perhaps  they  were  not  cognizant  of  the  fact  that 
I  had  already  undergone  thousands  of  dangerous 
experiences  long  before  I  ever  landed  in  Chicago 
waters;  and  that  I  had  successfully  dodged  a 
million  sharpshooter  bullets  of  the  "Johnnies"  in 
the  defense  of  this  Union  and  its  imperishable 
institutions,  a  braver  band  by  far  than  these  gangs 


228  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

of  criminal  crooks;  and  that  I  had  not  forgotten 
the  cunning  and  strategy  gained  by  years  of 
danger  in  a  noble  cause.  My  father  always 
taught  me  that  a  man's  home  was  his  castle,  and 
that  it  was  not  only  his  privilege  but  his  duty 
to  defend  it  with  his  life,  if  need  be,  and  that  he 
was  no  man,  but  a  cowardly  skunk,  if  he  shrank 
from  the  duty.  So  when  they  threw  down  the 
gauntlet  to  me,  I  accepted  the  challenge  in  defense 
of  my  home,  although  I  well  knew  that  they 
were  not  honorable  foes. 

On  this  particular  occasion  I  prepared  im- 
mediately for  the  defense,  and  had  all  of  my 
arms  well  loaded,  and  the  ammunition  handily 
distributed.  My  most  effective  weapon  in  those 
days  was  an  old  musket  of  the  army  type,  sawed 
off  until  the  barrel  was  very  short,  so  that  it 
could  be  used  on  due  occasion  as  a  war  club 
and  with  terrible  effect,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  I  was  often  compelled  to  wield  it  in  this 
fashion,  for  this  conflict  in  the  District  of  Lake 
Michigan  was  for  several  years  worse  than  an 
Indian  warfare,  and  resolved  itself  into  a  struggle 
of  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  and  I  laid  claim  to 
the  latter  right. 

On  the  following  morning,  as  had  been  dis- 
closed to  me  by  my  Swedish  friend,  at  about  three 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  229 

o'clock,  I  both  heard  and  discerned  a  gang  of 
men  approaching  my  habitation,  and  I  promptly 
challenged  their  presence  by  an  inquiry  as  to  their 
purposes  on  my  premises,  which  at  once  started 
a  controversy  of  words,  and  shortly  thereafter 
advances  on  their  part  were  met  by  defensive 
blows  on  my  part.  I  made  a  great  deal  of  noise, 
and  thus  aroused  the  people  who  lived  in  the 
neighborhood  to  the  westward,  who  afterward 
told  me  that  they  heard  much  of  the  colloquy. 

Finally,  after  many  blows  had  been  struck, 
they  made  a  rush  for  me,  and  I  retreated  in  good 
shape,  climbing  up  the  steps  of  my  old  scow, 
on  which  my  house  was  built.  It  stood  about 
three  feet  above  the  ground,  hence  the  necessity 
for  steps.  I  had  my  trusty  musket  handily  placed 
for  use  at  the  top  of  these  steps.  Perceiving  that 
I  was  closely  pursued,  and  that  one  of  my  pur- 
suers (the  chosen  one  spoken  about  by  my 
Swedish  friend  as  selected  to  finish  my  career 
with  a  well  directed  rifle  bullet)  was  making 
the  balls  from  a  Winchester  whizz  uncomfortably 
close  to  me,  I  seized  the  old  musket,  which  I  had 
previously  well  loaded  with  an  extraordinary 
amount  of  small  shot,  and  gave  them  two  charges 
at  close  range  from  different  angles  as  they  were 
trying  to  get  aboard  at  the  bottom  of  the  steps. 


230  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

I  shall  never  forget  the  ludicrous  situation 
which  resulted  from  these  well  directed  shots. 
It  seemed  that  everybody  had  been  hit,  for  never 
in  my  life  have  I  seen  so  many  pairs  of  shoes 
sticking  up  in  the  air  at  one  time  as  on  that 
occasion.  It  seemed  to  tumble  every  one  of  them 
to  the  earth.  Such  howling  and  squalling  I 
have  never  heard  since  the  Indian  demonstra- 
tions of  my  boyhood.  Then  there  was  a  wild 
scramble  to  escape  further  damage,  and  I  wit- 
nessed their  ignominious  flight  without  hav- 
ing my  skin  punctured  by  any  of  their  bullets. 
I  was  told  that  a  number  of  them  had  their 
faces  filled  with  shot.  A  few  had  shot  in  their 
tongues.  The  doctors  on  the  North  Side  were 
kept  busy  for  several  hours  picking  these  small 
shot  from  different  portions  of  their  anatomy. 

Later  a  squad  of  police  came  to  arrest  me 
on  a  serious  charge,  but  I  held  them  off,  and  told 
them  that  when  they  sent  a  single  officer  down  in 
a  decent  fashion  that  I  would  surrender;  but 
that  I  would  not  go  with  a  gang.  I  further 
declared  that  I  did  not  trust  them  a  bit  further 
than  I  did  the  gang  I  had  that  day  vanquished, 
but  that  I  was  afraid  of  no  living  man  when  he 
came  singly.  They  acceded  the  point,  and  went 
about  their  business.  Afterward  Officer  Kehoe 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  231 

came  down  and  advised  me  that  I  was  wanted 
at  the  Chicago  Avenue  Police  Station,  and  as 
I  had  already  made  arrangements  for  giving  bond, 
I  went  with  him,  signed  my  bond  and  returned  to 
the  homestead  within  a  very  few  minutes. 

Next  day  the  case  against  me  was  tried  out 
in  police  court,  and  I  defended  myself,  examining 
the  state's  witnesses  on  cross  examination.  I 
was  able  to  speedily  disclose  the  fact  that  these 
men  had  been  hired  by  certain  millionaires  to 
come  down  to  my  premises  for  the  purpose  of 
ejecting  me  forcibly  and  unlawfully.  I  then 
testified  about  the  information  which  I  had  re- 
ceived from  a  friend,  and  the  manner  in  which 
I  had  met  them,  without  disclosing  the  identity 
of  my  informant,  and  the  judge  thereupon  dis- 
charged me,  saying  that  I  was  guilty  of  no  of- 
fense under  the  law;  and  that  even  if  I  were 
not  lawfully  in  possession  of  the  lands  (a  matter 
upon  which  he  did  not  pretend  to  pass)  that  I 
could  not  be  ejected  without  due  process  of  law. 
He  also  declared  that  the  courts  were  open  to 
adjudicate  such  matters  as  that;  that  force  was 
unlawful;  that  even  though  I  were  ejected  by 
such  means  it  would  not  determine  the  matter; 
and  that  I  could  recover  possession  of  the  premises 
upon  an  appeal  to  the  courts. 


232  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

On  another  occasion  they  hired  a  gang  of 
constables,  deputy  sheriffs,  private  detectives,  and 
thugs  to  forcibly  eject  me.  These  officers  were 
not  there  in  their  official  capacity,  but  unofficially 
as  hired  tools  of  these  millionaires,  and  I  was 
fully  aware  of  this  fact.  This  gang  busied  them- 
selves in  trying  to  gain  possession  of  my  home 
and  to  remove  my  household  and  other  effects 
therefrom.  We  had  numerous  clashes  every  day 
for  almost  a  week,  and  there  were  many  personal 
encounters  resulting  in  considerable  bloodshed. 
They  were  numerous,  and  I  could  not  watch 
everywhere  at  one  and  the  same  time. 

I  had  at  that  time  two  habitations.  One  was  on 
the  old  scow,  in  the  upper  story  of  which  my 
wife  and  I  lived,  while  on  the  first  floor  I 
had  a  sort  of  shop,  with  work  bench  and  drill 
presses,  and  other  pieces  of  simple  machinery 
such  as  I  needed  in  the  boat  business.  My  wife 
could  usually  hold  the  fort  in  the  upper  story 
while  I  skirmished  around  on  the  outside  and 
tried  to  protect  the  place  from  invasion.  I  also 
had  the  other  boat  with  cabin  on  it,  and  I  tried 
to  prevent  them  from  destroying  it.  It  was 
all  that  I  could  look  after  and  I  had  my  hands 
full. 

One  day  they  almost  succeeded  in  ejecting  us, 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  233 

being  able  three  times  to  throw  our  furniture 
and  piano  from  the  house,  but  each  time  I  man- 
aged with  a  little  assistance  to  drive  them  off  by 
the  use  of  my  guns  and  replace  the  furniture  in 
the  home.  They  would  swear  out  warrants,  and 
while  I  was  away,  take  advantage  of  my  absence 
to  throw  the  household  effects  out  of  the  house. 
I  was  also  obliged  occasionally  to  make  trips 
down  town  to  buy  provisions  and  ammunition,  for' 
these  would  run  out.  During  these  absences, 
which  the  detectives  were  always  looking  out  for, 
advantage  would  be  taken  to  attempt  ejection. 
My  wife,  however,  was  a  brave  woman,  and  able 
to  handle  a  gun  when  necessary  to  keep  them 
from  the  top  story  of  the  house,  and  they  learned 
to  respect  her  commands  after  receiving  a  few 
bird  shot  in  places  where  they  would  have  pre- 
ferred more  ease. 

During  this  week  I  had  also  turned  the  tables 
on  them  somewhat  by  swearing  out  John  Doe 
warrants  for  a  number  of  them  whose  names  were 
unknown;  in  fact,  all  were  unknown  personages 
to  me.  I  had  also  taken  the  constable  who  had 
the  service  of  these  writs  on  his  hands  into  my 
house,  as  well  as  a  few  trusted  friends  of  fighting 
caliber;  so  on  the  very  next  appearance  of  the 
gang  on  the  premises  we  sallied  forth  and  ar- 


234  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

rested  them  after  a  stubborn  fight,  and  I  had 
the  satisfaction  of  taking  them  to  the  Chicago 
Avenue  Police  Station  and  locking  them  up; 
but  it  required  a  good  beating  to  subdue  them, 
and  make  them  take  this  sort  of  medicine. 
I  was  in  the  mood  for  that  sort  of  work  just  then, 
and  many  a  constable,  detective,  and  sheriff  felt 
the  butt  of  that  old  musket  about  his  head  and 
shoulders,  and  many  of  them  passed  into  the 
dreamland  stage  by  the  same  route.  They  were 
a  rough  gang  of  crooks  and  nothing  less  than  just 
such  work  would  reduce  them  to  subjection. 

During  this  week  about  eighty  police  camped 
on  the  borders  of  the  premises,  anticipating  the 
possible  death  of  some  of  the  combatants,  and 
these  gangs  of  hired  crooks  often  called  on  the 
police  to  assist  them;  but  the  police  at  this  stage 
of  the  situation  refused  to  interfere,  and  rather 
seemed  to  enjoy  watching  the  beatings  which  we 
administered  from  day  to  day.  At  times  there 
were  hundreds  of  citizens  attracted  to  the  locality 
by  the  scrimmages,  which  were  almost  of  hourly 
occurrence,  and  by  adroit  language  and  action  I 
managed  to  draw  the  sympathy  of  the  crowd,  who 
were  adverse  to  the  tactics  employed  by  these  hired 
tools  of  those  who  were  too  cowardly  to  come  to 
the  front  in  person  and  fight  their  own  battles. 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  235 

I  think  it  was  the  attitude  of  these  crowds 
which  largely  tempered  the  feeling  of  the  police, 
who  like  to  be  popular  whenever  it  is  possible. 
Finally  the  police  began  to  jolly  and  jeer  at 
the  gangs  of  hired  tools,  when  they  saw  that  I 
was  getting  the  best  of  my  opponents,  and  that 
they  were  not  going  to  be  able  to  eject  me.  I  did 
not  have  many  friends  who  had  the  nerve  to  give 
a  helping  hand,  but  there  were  a  few  hardy  spirits 
who  put  in  some  good  licks  for  me  whenever  they 
were  called  upon.  With  their  aid  I  was  always 
able  to  get  my  household  goods  back  into  the  house 
whenever  they  were  thrown  out  by  the  gangs. 
We  did  not  have  our  meals  on  time  that  week, 
but  we  didn't  miss  a  single  one,  of  that  you  may 
be  sure. 

One  evening  near  the  close  of  the  week  I  had 
gone  down  town  to  sign  some  appearance  bonds, 
and  before  going  I  had  an  idea  that  possibly 
some  of  the  detectives  and  officers  would  try  to 
get  into  the  house  before  my  return,  since  they 
were  always  on  guard  and  watching  for  my  pos- 
sible absence  to  get  a  chance  to  do  some  dastardly 
act.  It  occurred  to  me  that  if  they  succeeded,  in 
getting  possession  of  the  lower  story  I  would 
not  be  able  to  get  to  my  guns,  and  that  I  could 
not  drive  them  away  with  my  revolvers.  So  I 


236  Captain  Streeterf  Pioneer. 

loosened  a  board  on  the  outside  of  the  house,  a 
piece  of  weatherboard,  and  slipped  both  the 
musket  and  the  double-barreled  shotgun  inside 
and  then  replaced  the  board,  and  went  on  my 
way.  It  was  then  almost  dark,  and  my  action 
was  unobserved. 

After  I  had  transacted  the  business  down  town 
and  was  returning  home,  I  met  a  small  boy  who 
was  a  friend  of  mine,  and  he  told  me  that  five 
deputy  sheriffs  had  taken  possession  of  the  first 
story  of  my  house  on  the  scow,  but  that  my  wife 
was  holding  the  fort  above.  We  at  once  cau- 
tiously approached  the  house,  and  I  removed 
the  guns  from  their  hiding  place,  and  then  care- 
fully took  a  peep  into  the  first  story  of  the  house. 
These  officers  had  brought  an  oil  stove  into  the 
place  to  keep  them  from  freezing,  and  a  lamp 
to  afford  a  light,  and  were  all  huddled  closely 
about  the  stove,  laughing  and  joking  about  the 
easy  manner  in  which  they  had  outgeneraled  me 
and  obtained  possession  at  last  of  the  coveted 
place.  They  had  forgotten  the  old  saying  that 
"he  laughs  best  who  laughs  last." 

It  was  no  laughing  matter  with  me,  and  they 
were  soon  painfully  aware  of  that  fact.  I  care- 
fully considered  the  situation,  and  then  made  up 
my  mind  that  the  logical  thing  to  do  first  was  to 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  237 

rob  them  of  that  light,  when  I  would  have  them 
at  my  mercy,  for  not  one  of  them  would  dare 
to  come  out  of  the  door.  I  knew  that  they  could 
shoot,  too,  but  I  figured  that  I  could  only  lose 
an  arm  at  most,  so  I  carefully  drew  aim  at  the 
light  and  pulled  the  trigger,  protecting  myself 
as  best  I  could.  Fortunately  their  shots  went 
wild,  while  I  poured  a  devastating  and  deafening 
round  of  shot  into  their  midst,  and  at  the  same 
time  yelled  like  a  Comanche  Indian.  I  taunted 
and  goaded  them  with  the  suggestion  that  I  now 
had  them  just  where  I  had  so  long  wanted  them, 
and  that  I  proposed  to  make  short  work  of  them, 
when  in  fact  I  did  not  mean  to  kill  them,  but 
I  did  mean  to  give  them  the  scare  of  their  lives, 
and  to  beat  them  up  and  puncture  them  with 
shot  before  I  allowed  them  to  escape  me  entirely. 
They  had  been  particularly  insulting  in  their 
remarks  during  the  scrimmages  of  the  week, 
and  this  rankled  considerably  in  my  bosom,  as 
well  as  the  known  fact  that  if  they  had  once 
found  a  favorable  opportunity  to  murder  me  they 
would  have  done  so  with  the  greatest  gusto  and 
abandon.  They  begged  like  good  fellows  for 
liberty  and  safety,  promising  to  depart  never  more 
to  disturb  me  or  my  possession  of  these  premises. 
They  stated  that  they  had  been  hired  to  come 


238  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

there  to  eject  and  kill  me,  but  that  they  personally 
had  no  quarrel  with  me,  and  if  liberated  they 
would  never  lift  a  finger  against  me  again,  and 
in  fact  promised  to  befriend  me  if  given  the 
chance. 

I  was  to  all  intents  and  purposes  inexorable. 
I  told  them  that  I  did  not  have  the  opportunity 
to  entertain  them  very  often,  and  that  I  was  loth 
to  abandon  the  hospitalities  of  the  occasion;  in 
fact,  that  I  thought  I  would  be  derelict  in  my 
duty  as  a  host  if  I  did.  As  an  interlude  I  would 
occasionally  cut  loose  with  a  round  of  revolver 
shots  from  the  brace  of  forty-four  caliber  weap- 
ons which  I  carried  and  used  at  that  time.  They 
had  long  since  exhausted  their  ammunition  and 
were  virtually  at  my  mercy,  a  fact  which  I  did 
not  forget  nor  really  abuse. 

I  finally  kicked  in  the  door  and  told  them 
that  they  could  clear  out  as  fast  as  they  felt  in- 
clined to  do,  but  they  now  seemed  loth  to  run 
the  gauntlet  past  me,  evidently  fearful  of  some 
impending  danger.  And  in  that  they  were  not 
a  bit  mistaken,  for  I  had  prepared  a  suitable 
reception  for  them.  After  a  great  deal  of  con- 
sultation, they  evidently  decided  that  the  safest 
mode  of  exit  was  a  running  jump  out  of  the  door. 
I  managed  to  land  on  them  much  after  the  fashion 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  239 

of  hitting  a  swift  ball  with  a  bat,  using  in  lieu 
of  the  latter  the  old  sawed-off  musket. 

I  managed  to  connect  with  three  of  them  in 
rapid  succession,  and  the  point  of  contact  was  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  neck,  consequently  they 
all  dropped  on  the  sand  without  a  murmur  or  a 
sound.  The  remaning  two  thought  that  all  had 
gotten  safely  away.  These  two  made  the  run 
at  the  same  time  by  some  mutual  blunder,  and 
butted  into  each  other  at  the  doorway,  and  I 
landed  on  both  of  them  about  the  shoulders 
instead  of  the  neck.  It  may  have  been  possible 
that  they  were  taller  than  the  others,  but  be  that 
as  it  may,  they  jumped  out  on  to  the  sand  yelling 
like  demons  and  I  was  in  close  pursuit,  shooting 
over  them  as  I  ran.  They  were  headed  toward 
the  lake,  and  seemed  afraid  to  turn  from  a  straight 
course,  so  I  ran  them  into  the  water,  where  they 
were  compelled  to  swim  around  for  fully  half 
a  mile  in  the  cold  anchor  ice,  and  finally  came 
ashore  and  sought  refuge  in  the  Chicago  Avenue 
water-works  pumping  station,  where  I  was  told 
they  thawed  out  and  related  their  terrible  ex- 
perience amid  the  joshing  of  the  members  of  the 
fire  company  nearby,  who  had  witnessed  their 
entrance  to  the  plant.  They  admitted  that  they 
had  made  a  mistake  in  taking  possession  of  my 


240  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

house,  and  stated  that  they  were  through  with 
employment  in  that  line  for  all  time  to  come. 

While  they  were  in  the  water  I  could  have 
killed  them  easily,  but  I  only  desired  to  frighten 
them  so  badly  that  they  would  never  venture  back 
to  my  premises  again,  and  I  fully  accomplished 
my  purpose. 

On  returning  to  the  house  I  found  that  the 
three  men  whom  I  had  batted  on  the  fly  were  still 
unconscious  and  showed  no  signs  of  immediate 
recovery.  The  boy  who  had  given  me  timely 
warning  expressed  the  opinion  that  they  were 
all  dead,  a  statement  in  which  I  did  not  concur. 
However,  I  told  him  to  go  and  hunt  up  a  cab- 
man and  have  them  taken  to  a  hospital,  and  he 
was  not  slow  in  complying  with  my  request.  I 
paid  the  cabman  three  dollars  and  he  hauled 
them  away  to  the  nearest  hospital,  where  they 
were  soon  resuscitated,  and  they  never  troubled 
me  afterward. 

Upon  investigation  I  discovered  the  reason 
why  they  had  not  all  been  killed  by  my  bom- 
bardment. There  was  a  workbench  in  this  room, 
and  this  bench  had  a  solid  oak  top  four  inches 
thick  on  it.  This  bench  they  had  thrown  over 
on  one  side  and  got  back  of  the  oak  top,  and 
by  lying  flat  on  the  floor  had  escaped  my  bullets, 


Battles  on  the  Lake  Front  241 

which  had  riddled  the  walls  on  all  sides.  They 
must  have  got  some  of  the  small  shot,  however, 
from  the  shotgun  at  the  first  volley,  and  it  was 
this  shot  no  doubt  which  made  them  drop  to  the 
floor  for  safety.  My  wife  Maria  was  faithfully 
on  guard  above,  and  they  were  afraid  to  attempt 
a  passage  of  the  stairway  up  to  her  quarters,  for 
she  could  have  swept  them  all  with  one  well 
directed  load  of  shot.  They  seemed  to  be  fully 
aware  of  this  fact  and  gave  her  a  wide  berth. 
Evidently  they  were  aiming  to  hold  the  fort 
below  and  starve  her  out  by  siege  methods,  not 
counting  on  my  being  able  to  dislodge  them. 
They  had  never  thought  about  what  they  would 
do,  nor  the  predicament  they  would  be  in,  if 
the  light  went  out!  Such  people  never  think 
very  far  nor  to  much  purpose.  They  were  merely 
hired  tools,  and  were  simply  trying  to  earn  their 
money. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  DISTRICT  OF  LAKE  MICHIGAN 

It  has  always  been  my  contention  that  my  tract 
of  land,  my  homestead,  did  not  lie  within  the 
borders  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  Cook  County, 
nor  the  corporate  City  of  Chicago.  This  view 
was  based  fundamentally  upon  the  indisputable 
fact  that  this  tract  of  land  was  not  within  the 
borders  of  the  old  Virginia  grant  whose  boun- 
daries passed  through  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw, 
thence  down  the  eastern  shores  of  Lake  Michigan 
to  a  point  now  best  designated  by  Michigan 
City,  Indiana,  thence  in  a  south-westerly  direc- 
tion to  the  Kankakee  River;  thence  down  that 
river  to  the  Illinois  River;  thence  down  that 
river  to  Cairo,  Illinois,  where  there  was  a  junc- 
tion of  this  river  and  the  Ohio;  thence  along 
the  north  bank  of  the  latter  river  in  an  easterly 
direction  to  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  In  view 
of  this  fact  I  contended  that  none  of  these  gov- 
ernments had  any  right  to  exercise  any  functions 
of  government  within  the  borders  of  my  home- 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          243 

stead,  which  I  named  the  "District  of  Lake 
Michigan."  I  had  proceeded  to  organize  a  ter- 
ritorial government  under  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  and  held  an  elec- 
tion of  officers  to  fill  all  of  the  necessary  offices, 
and  had  them  sworn  in  before  a  United  States 
judge  of  the  nearest  district,  who  was  at  that  time 
sitting  in  the  City  of  Chicago.  Under  this  gov- 
ernment I  was  district  clerk  of  the  territory. 

My  object  at  that  time  was  to  prevent  these 
other  governments  and  their  officers  from  usurp- 
ing and  exercising  any  authority  in  this  territory, 
which  I  have  always  claimed  they  had  no  legal 
right  to  do. 

It  may  be  of  further  interest  to  state  at  this 
point  that  when  the  National  government  pur- 
chased from  the  Indians  and  the  French  govern- 
ment the  remainder  of  the  lands  which  made  up 
the  total  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  they  did  not 
acquire  the  frontage  on  Lake  Michigan,  but 
bought  merely  to  the  meander  line  of  that  lake. 
The  State  of  Illinois  was  carved  out  of  this  pur- 
chased tract  of  land  and  the  lands  described  in 
the  Virginia  Grant,  hence  it  did  not  acquire  the 
bed  of  the  lake  as  is  popularly  supposed,  and  as 
many  astute  judges  have  nevertheless  decided  in 
the  face  of  the  indisputable  facts.  This  only 


244  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

illustrates  how  prone  judges  are  to  disregard 
facts  and  truths  where  powerful  interests  are 
arrayed  on  the  one  side  and  weaker  personages 
on  the  other.  I  do  not  mean  to  infer  that  this  is 
always  true — quite  the  contrary — but  it  has  been 
too  often  the  case;  so  much  so  that  the  people 
of  the  country  have  begun  to  demand  the  direct 
election  of  all  judges,  state  and  national,  and 
further,  that  every  one  of  them  shall  be  subject 
to  the  popular  recall  at  any  time. 

In  this  connection  we  may  pause  to  remark  that 
if  the  people  wish  this  to  transpire,  who  shall 
say  nay?  Are  the  people  not  sovereign  in  this 
country?  If  they  are  not  in  fact  at  this  time, 
what  is  to  hinder  them  from  becoming  so?  I 
say  that  it  is  high  time  that  we  sweep  every 
stumbling  block  from  our  path,  though  we  over- 
throw the  Constitution  to  do  it.  We  would  be 
violating  no  principle  and  no  precepts  of  the 
old  Declaration  of  Independence  in  so  doing, 
for  it  declares  our  inherent  right  to  do  that  very 
thing  whenever  we  decide  that  such  a  course  is, 
in  our  judgment,  the  wise  thing  to  do.  Let  there 
be  no  slavery  to  this  old  instrument  if  it  prove 
the  last  bulwark  and  breastwork  of  the  dollar 
hogs  of  America. 

It  would  seem  from  some  of  the  latest  expres- 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          245 

sions  of  that  supposedly  august  body  known  as 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  that 
such  has  come  to  pass;  and  I  am  voicing  the 
opinion  of  the  ablest  member  of  that  body,  now 
passed  away,  the  late  Justice  Harlan,  who  did 
not  hesitate  to  rebuke  his  brethren  for  their 
recreancy  to  Americanism,  to  the  true  spirit  of 
our  institutions,  and  the  best  interests  of  the  whole 
people.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  point  out  clearly 
that  they  had  reversed  the  former  decisions  of 
that  body  on  the  precise  point  at  issue,  in  order 
that  they  might  compromise  the  situation  most 
favorably  to  the  dollar  hogs,  and  thereby  render 
a  judgment  which  would  in  its  last  analysis  and 
effects  be  as  harmless  to  their  vitality  and  law- 
less power  as  though  written  upon  water  instead 
of  parchment. 

By  its  effects,  or  rather  lack  of  effect,  it  has 
already  been  judged.  It  has  proved  a  blessing 
in  disguise  for  the  dollar  hogs  and  their  pet  in- 
stitution known  as  the  modern  trust.  They  are 
praying  and  hungering  for  more  of  the  same  doc- 
trine. Such  decisions  will  never  deliver  the 
American  people  from  the  slavery  of  the  dollar 
hogs  nor  put  a  mouthful  of  bread  into  hungering 
mouths.  It  is  high  time  for  the  Supreme  Court 
to  reverse  itself  again.  Let  us  hope  it  will  land 


246  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

on  the  right  side  next  time.  Its  members  need 
to  look  at  these  matters  from  the  shoes  of  the 
whole  people  instead  of  the  dollar  hog  con- 
tingency and  their  sleek  lawyers.  They  need  to 
take  one  good  squint  through  the  spectacles  of 
the  whole  people,  and  while  they  are  doing  so 
try  to  locate  that  lost  piece  of  mechanism  within 
their  bodies  known  as  the  human  heart.  Perhaps 
their  vision  would  be  keener  and  truer  if  they 
tried  out  this  process.  I  know  they  would  not  be 
compelled  to  violate  any  portion  of  their  oath  of 
office,  nor  any  instrument  known  to  the  legal 
profession,  nor  any  statute  known  to  the  law, 
by  so  doing.  On  the  contrary,  as  Justice  Harlan 
has  painfully  pointed  out  to  the  American  people 
(and  it  was  to  them  that  his  dissenting  opinion 
was  directed,  for  he  knew  full  well  that  so  far 
as  his  associates  were  concerned,  it  would  fall 
upon  unhearing  ears),  they  would  more  nearly 
line  up  with  every  landmark  of  the  law  and  the 
clear  decisions  of  their  honored  predecessors. 

Since  this  decision  the  Sherman  Anti-Trust 
Law  has  become  popular  among  the  corporations 
and  trusts,  where  before  it  was  odious,  and  all 
of  the  apologists  and  advocates  of  the  dollar  hogs 
of  America  are  now  bubbling  over  with  praise 
for  this  supposedly  and  hitherto  praiseworthy 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan         247 

statute,  in  which  they  never  before  perceived  any 
good.  All  of  the  great  commercial  associations 
and  their  officers  are  lauding  its  virtues  to  the 
skies,  and  really  have  the  temerity  to  embarrass 
the  Supreme  Court  by  openly  stating  that  their 
change  of  attitude  has  been  due  to  this  change  of 
its  construction  and  application  by  that  court. 

Thus  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the 
world  we  behold  the  anomaly  of  outlaws  and  their 
parasites  falling  in  love  with  the  Law.  The  lead- 
ing counsel  of  these  outlaws  are  open  in  their 
defense  of  the  measure  as  it  now  stands,  and  have 
even  had  themselves  interviewed  by  representa- 
tives of  the  press,  to  whom  they  unfold  their 
bitter  opposition  to  the  idea  that  Congress  should 
change  the  law  in  any  manner.  One  of  them, 
counsel  for  both  Rockefeller  and  the  Beef  Trust 
barons,  and  the  author  of  the  infamous  "immunity 
bath"  plea,  even  has  the  effrontery  to  say  that 
this  body  is  not  competent  to  attempt  a  change 
in  any  of  its  provisions,  and  to  use  his  exact 
language,  "this  is  no  law  for  bunglers  to  fool 
with"! 

We  presume  he  thinks  himself  capable  of  fool- 
ing with  it  ad  libitum.  He  has  often  fooled  the 
law  itself,  and  the  dear  people  as  well;  in  fact, 
his  entire  time  and  attention  for  the  past  seven 


248  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

years  have  largely,  if  not  wholly,  been  devoted 
to  this  very  profitable  endeavor.  We  should  be 
pleased  if  he  would  be  frank  enough  to  give  the 
dear  people  and  Congress  an  itemized  bill  of  his 
receipts  from  such  corporations  since  the  advent 
of  his  "immunity  bath"  plea.  What  would  the 
law  amount  to  if  he  had  the  opportunity  to  sug- 
gest all  the  changes  he  would  love  to  see  made 
in  it?  We  should  be  more  than  pleased  if  he 
would  give  the  people  and  Congress  a  full  out- 
line of  the  exact  changes  he  would  love  to  have 
made  in  this  one  law.  If  there  is  one  single 
change  in  his  program  which  would  operate 
favorably  in  behalf  of  the  people  and  to  the 
detriment  of  the  trusts  which  he  represents,  then 
we  will  change  our  opinion  of  him  as  a  trust 
"barker."  It  is  now  our  candid  opinion  that  if 
he  were  permitted  to  inject  any  substitute  para- 
graphs and  to  blue  pencil  old  ones,  that  the  law 
would  be  even  less  potent  than  when  it  was  ap- 
plied to  his  dear  clients,  the  "Beef  Trust  barons." 
The  truth  about  the  matter  is  that  he  is  only 
aroused  to  this  outbreak  because  of  the  known 
fact  that  Congress  intends  to  make  such  changes 
in  the  law  as  are  necessary  to  restore  its  former 
vitality,  of  which  this  decision  of  the  Supreme 
Court  robbed  it,  and  to  make  its  application  and 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          249 

scope  more  drastic  against  all  combinations  in 
restraint  of  trade,  whether  reasonable  or  un- 
reasonable— in  other  words,  that  it  may  be  clear 
that  all  combinations  in  restraint  of  trade  are  abso- 
lutely and  unequivocally  prohibited.  This  would 
naturally  rouse  the  ire  of  a  corporation  and  trust 
lawyer,  who  is  wont  to  look  at  every  law  through 
the  spectacles  of  his  clients,  rather  than  through 
those  of  the  people.  The  opinions  of  such  a 
lawyer  as  they  may,  or  may  not,  affect  the  citizen- 
ship of  the  land  are  of  very  little  value. 

But  this  is  not  the  first  time  that  the  Supreme 
Court  has  been  guilty  of  such  conduct  in  matters 
vital  to  the  interests  of  the  great  body  of  the  peo- 
ple. Many  years  ago  we  had  an  income  tax  law, 
which  was  repeatedly  held  to  be  constitutional 
by  the  Supreme  Court.  Then  we  didn't  have  one. 
Finally  Congress,  as  the  servant  of  the  whole 
people,  passed  an  income  tax  law.  This  law 
had  a  clear  majority  of  the  court  on  its  first 
hearing,  but  for  some  unknown  and  unexplained 
reason,  during  the  interim  one  of  these  judges 
reversed  himself  and  the  law  was  declared  un- 
constitutional, and  the  people's  will  was  defeated, 
and  the  will  of  the  people  reversed  by  the  very 
creatures  they  had  themselves  created. 

And  do  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  they 


250  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

thereby  reversed  the  repeated  decisions  and  opin- 
ions of  the  gre^t  and  able  judges  who  had  in  years 
gone  by  passed  upon  exactly  the  same  proposition 
that  was  then  before  them.  Does  it  not  strike 
you  that  such  conduct  required  a  world  of  assump- 
tion and  courage  of  a  doubtful  kind?  In  the 
language  of  the  street,  would  you  not  place  it  in 
the  category  of  unprecedented  "nerve"  and  "gall"? 
But  they  were  equal  to  the  necessary  emergency 
and  managed  to  force  it  down  the  throats  of  the 
American  people.  Now  we  have  a  new  income 
tax  law,  which  is  constitutional  until  it  is  declared 
unconstitutional,  and  the  sleek  lawyers  of  the 
big  trusty  corporations  are  burning  the  midnight 
oil  to  prepare  the  necessary  briefs  to  have  it  so 
declared;  and  it  will  surprise  me  greatly  if  they 
are  not  successful.  Where  there  is  a  will  there 
is  a  way. 

That  almighty  word  "unconstitutional"  has  be- 
come more  almighty  than  the  people  themselves 
as  it  has  been  wielded  recently  by  the  Supreme 
Court  It  is  the  dollar-hog  panacea  for  all 
obnoxious  laws  that  have  escaped  their  trusties 
in  Congress  and  the  White  House.  When  the 
people  have  made  it  so  hot  for  their  representa- 
tives that  they  have  been  obliged  to  pass  unwill- 
ingly much  needed  legislation  along  the  lines  that 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          251 

would  help  them  most,  and  the  President  has  been 
afraid  to  veto  the  measures,  then  the  word  goes 
out  that  it  is  unconsitutional,  and  can't  be  en- 
forced, and  that  the  Supreme  Court  will  so  de- 
clare it.  Quite  recently  we  have  had  some  Attor- 
neys General  who  have  had  the  brazen  impudence 
to  refuse  even  to  try  to  enforce  such  laws,  or 
to  defend  them  before  the  courts,  thus  virtually 
taking  unto  themselves  the  veto  power,  the  nulli- 
fying power. 

Slich  officers  ought  to  be  impeached,  and  when 
we  obtain  the  recall  power  of  all  public  servants 
they  will  be  recalled  very  promptly  for  such  work, 
or  rather  lack  of  work.  Too  often  the  Supreme 
Court  has  taken  up  the  specious  pleas  of  these 
sleek  corporation  lawyers  and  saved  the  dear 
corporations  by  declaring  the  obnoxious  law  to 
be  unconstitutional.  Too  often  have  they  been 
kind  to  the  dear  corporations  and  unkind  to  the 
people  who  pay  their  salaries,  but  who  have  never 
yet  elected  one  of  them. 

In  this  day  and  age  a  man  ought  to  be  ashamed 
to  serve  in  any  office  which  is  not  an  elective  one, 
and  that  by  a  direct  vote  of  the  whole  people. 
No  honorable  man  will  deny  the  fact  that  the 
United  States  Senate  is  being  greatly  purged  by 
the  law  which  compels  the  election  of  every  mem- 


252  Captain,  Streeter,  Pioneer 

her  by  the  direct  vote  of  his  constituency.  The 
old  plea  of  justification,  that  we  heard  for  more 
than  a  century,  upholding  the  opposite  doctrine, 
the  undemocratic  doctrine,  has  gone  down  to  de- 
feat forever,  and  so  will  the  false  philosophy 
which  now  justifies  the  appointment  of  Federal 
officers  by  the  President,  and  state  officers  by  the 
Governor  of  a  commonwealth;  and  so  on  down 
the  line  of  appointive  officials  everywhere.  It 
has  no  place  in  a  democratic  republic,  and  the 
day  is  not  far  distant  when  it  will  be  utterly 
wiped  out. 

Justice  Harlan  pointed  out,  without  mincing 
his  words,  that  his  colleagues  on  the  bench, 
in  order  to  reach  the  opinion  which  they  handed 
down  in  the  case  under  consideration,  were 
obliged  to  usurp  legislative  functions  which  they 
do  not  lawfully  and  rightfully  possess.  In  order 
to  bring  about  the  declaration  of  law  which  so 
mightily  aids  the  dollar  hogs  of  the  country,  they 
had  to  legislate  a  word  into  the  written  law 
which  was  not  there,  which  had  never  been  put 
there  by  the  Congress  of  the  people  of  this 
country,  a  word  which  that  body  squarely  refused 
to  put  in  the  law. 

The  whole  doctrine  which  they  advocated  was 
dependent  upon  this  unlawful  action  on  their 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          253 

part,  according  to  Justice  Harlan.  In  doing  this 
they  were  obliged  to  reverse  the  decisions  of  their 
honored  predecessors,  not  in  one  case  but  in 
several  cases  involving  the  precise  point  at  issue. 
It  would  seem  that  under  such  circumstances  they 
were  unpardonably  perverse,  yea,  that  they  were 
willfully  determined  to  do  the  thing  they  did, 
regardless  of  precedents  or  the  written  law.  Un- 
biased courts  are  not  wont  to  do  these  things,  and 
more  especially  so  where  the  result  is  sure  to 
work  great  harm  to  the  great  body  of  the  people, 
as  this  decision  was  bound  to  do,  according  to 
the  keen  review  of  it  by  Justice  Harlan,  from 
every  standpoint. 

This  proneness  of  the  highest  court  in  the  land 
to  interpret  the  written  laws  most  favorably  to 
the  predatory  corporations  of  the  land,  to  the 
great  detriment  of  the  people,  this  apparent  de- 
termination of  this  supposedly  sublime  body  to 
refuse  to  interpret  the  laws  as  they  are  written 
by  the  representatives  of  the  people,  is,  in  my 
humble  opinion,  soon  to  be  ended.  The  people 
have  a  right  to  have  their  laws  interpreted  as 
they  were  written,  not  as  they  should  have  been 
written  by  permission  of  these  overlords  of  Law, 
not  as  the  King  would  have  them  written,  but 
as  they  are  written  by  the  people.  That  old 


254  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

kingly  idea  was  shot  to  pieces  more  than  a  century 
ago.  We  need  no  overlords  in  this  country,  and 
by  the  eternal  justice  of  that  decision  we  are 
not  going  to  tolerate  any  at  this  late  day.  The 
people  have  a  right  to  be  sovereign  in  this  country, 
and  no  personage,  however  high  he  may  imagine 
himself  to  be  elevated,  has  a  right  to  thwart 
their  will  by  substituting  his  own  opinion  for  their 
opinion.  These  officers  of  the  people  are  entitled 
to  no  consideration  or  respect  whatever  unless 
they  line  up  with  the  absolute  administration  of 
the  will  of  the  people. 

The  government  is  no  holy  body.  It  is  noth- 
ing but  a  piece  of  machinery,  which  the  people 
themselves  out  of  physical  necessity  have  created 
to  do  their  bidding,  because  they  cannot  carry 
out  their  public  desires  and  the  business  of  the 
nation  in  any  other  methodical  or  business-like 
way.  These  officers  of  the  law  and  land  every- 
where, from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  are  the 
servants  of  the  people,  nothing  more,  and  we  are 
paying  them  for  their  work.  If  they  don't  like 
the  job  they  can  quit  at  any  time;  and  we  ought 
to  have  the  right,  or  rather  we  do  have  the  right, 
but  ought  to  have  a  law  by  which  we  could  sepa- 
rate them  from  the  job  at  any  time  that  we  do 
not  like  the  quality  of  their  work  in  our  behalf. 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          255 

I  am  sorry  to  say,  however,  that  during  the  past 
twenty-five  years  there  has  apparently  grown  up 
a  disposition  upon  the  part  of  the  people  to  treat 
their  officers  and  servants  as  though  they  were 
overlords  and  rulers.  This  is  a  false  attitude, 
which  I  am  glad  to  say  is  just  at  the  present  writ- 
ing undergoing  a  change.  Its  existence  perhaps 
grew  up  out  of  the  political  boss  system,  where 
nothing  could  be  obtained  in  the  way  of  rights, 
or  wrongs  either,  except  by  the  intercession  of  the 
"boss"  of  the  ward,  legislature,  congress,  etc. 

I  am  also  compelled  to  say  that  I  even  dislike 
to  see  the  chief  executive  of  a  state  or  nation 
intermeddle  too  much  with  the  affairs  of  the  other 
branches  of  government.  It  savors  too  much 
of  the  "boss"  system  with  which  we  have  been 
cursed  so  long,  and  which  is  responsible  for  the 
ease  with  which  the  dollar  hogs  of  the  land  have 
controlled  our  institutions  of  every  class,  public, 
private,  and  eleemosynary,  and  enslaved  the  white 
race  without  their  consent. 

I  do  not  like  to  see  the  President  of  the  country, 
or  rather  of  the  people,  our  highest  paid  servant, 
laying  down  the  law  to  senators  and  representa- 
tives, who  know  their  duties  just  as  well  as  he 
does,  and  are  just  as  likely  to  do  them.  The 
people  will  speak  to  them  in  no  uncertain  way 


256  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

if  they  fail  to  perform  their  duties  as  they  wish 
them  to  do.  The  people  will  shortly,  in  my 
humble  judgment,  put  the  initiative  and  refer- 
endum, as  well  as  the  popular  recall,  into  work- 
ing shape  in  every  branch  of  the  public  service. 
It  has  proved  salutary  wherever  it  has  been  tried, 
and  there  is  no  good  reason  why  it  should  not  be 
put  to  work  universally.  It  has  always  been  a 
part  of  the  methods  of  the  business  world;  yet 
strange  to  say  these  Big  Business  fellows  are  the 
very  ones  who  inveigh  against  its  adoption  by  the 
people  in  the  public  service. 

This  ought  to  prove  a  strong  argument  in  its 
favor.  They  never  champion  any  real  reform, 
and  we  do  not  expect  them  to  do  so.  An  empire 
would  suit  their  tastes  much  better  than  a  demo- 
cratic republic,  for  they  could  then  buy  franchises 
and  valuable  privileges  to  exploit  the  people.  Of 
course  in  recent  years  they  have  not  fared  so  badly 
in  this  country,  for  the  plain  reason  that  the 
political  boss  system  has  enabled  them  to  control 
almost  every  blessed  thing  which  they  desired 
to  exploit,  as  we  have  very  pointedly  called  at- 
tention to  elsewhere  in  this  story.  Things,  in  fact, 
have  run  so  smoothly  for  them  that  they  do  not 
relish  a  change,  and  especially  one  which  would 
forever  limit  their  activities  to  the  very  minimum 


A  Recent  Photograph  of  Captain  Streeter 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          257 

of  possibilities.  They  are  accustomed  to  the 
maximum  of  possibilities.  We  could  not  expect 
them  to  join  the  anti-slavery  movement,  nor  to 
wave  an  abolition  banner  on  the  march. 

Again,  how  often  have  the  courts  of  our  land 
declared  stock  gambling  transactions,  and  the 
very  institution  itself,  the  Stock  Exchange,  to  be 
lawful,  when  every  honest  citizen  in  the  land 
knows  full  well  that  they  are  dishonest,  unlawful 
gambling  hells;  that  in  these  very  places  daily 
the  biggest  gamblers  on  earth  operate  with  im- 
punity, and  under  the  protecting  decisions  of  the 
highest  court  in  the  land.  That  here  daily  the 
fruits  of  our  fields,  of  our  husbandmen,  are  made 
the  pawns  of  these  gaming  kings  of  high  finance. 
Here  the  youth  of  the  land  are  taught  that  to  be 
a  "Board  of  Trade  man"  is  considered  an  honor 
among  the  select  circles. 

Just  ponder  over  this:  To  be  a  Board  of 
Trade  gambler  is  considered  a  tribute  to  one's 
ability  to  separate  some  less  shrewd  operator  from 
his  pile  of  money,  and  that  is  supposed  to  be  an 
honorable  operation  and  business.  But  where  do 
they  get  this  money  to  gamble  with,  every  one  of 
them?  We  all  know  where  the  big  trust  manip- 
ulators who  are  the  biggest  in  the  game,  got  theirs ; 
but  where  do  the  smaller  fry  get  theirs?  They  get 


258  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

it  from  still  smaller  fry  all  over  the  land,  and  the; 
get  it  from  foolish  people  who  imagine  that  the; 
can  beat  the  game.  Think  of  the  country  banker 
who  play  the  game  with  the  money  of  their  de 
positors.  Scarcely  a  day  goes  by  that  we  do  no 
read  of  their  undoing.  Clerks  and  trusted  mei 
all  over  the  land  are  tempted  and  go  the  sam 
route  to  destruction.  But  it  is  not  always  th 
small  bankers  and  business  men  who  play  th 
game  and  are  uncovered. 

Every  big  city  in  the  country  has  had  it 
example  in  very  recent  years,  and  in  Milwauke 
the  honored  ex-president  of  the  American  Banker 
Association  used  millions  of  the  money  belongin 
to  depositors  in  playing  the  wheat  market  i 
Chicago,  which  he  was  unable  to  replace,  an 
he  had  to  pay  the  penalty.  In  Peoria  the  forme 
president  of  the  American  Teachers  Associatior 
a  school  superintendent  and  banker  as  well,  wer 
the  same  route. 

In  New  York  the  great  money  panic  of  190 
was  precipitated  by  the  action  of  certain  financiei 
who  caught  certain  bankers  and  board  of  trad 
operators  in  close  quarters  and  crushed  ther 
unscrupulously,  because  they  knew  by  the  magn: 
tude  of  their  gaming  transactions  in  copper  stock 
on  the  board  of  trade  that  they  must  of  nece; 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          259 

sity  have  used  the  moneys  of  the  depositors  of 
their  string  of  banks.  In  order  to  make  a  killing, 
and  in  order  to  forever  eliminate  them  from  the 
banking  world,  they  caused  an  investigation  and 
a  run  to  be  made  on  this  string  of  banks,  which 
brought  about  the  desired  results. 

But  it  did  more  than  they  anticipated  that 
it  would.  It  caused  almost  every  bank  in  the 
country  to  suspend  payments  to  its  depositors,  and 
the  best  business  concerns  in  the  country  to  do 
business  on  paper  solely.  In  pulling  down  these 
stock-gambling  competitors  they  almost  paralleled 
the  feat  of  Samson,  who  pulled  down  the  taber- 
nacle on  his  own  head  to  destroy  his  enemies. 
But  in  the  end  they  reaped  a  handsome  harvest, 
for  with  the  revival  of  business  operations  they 
were  the  only  ones  able  to  buy  up  the  tons  of 
stock  securities  which  had  gone  to  the  very  bottom 
of  stock  quotation  values,  and  later  resell  them 
to  a  gullible  public.  In  Chicago  and  Pittsburg 
we  have  had  repetitions  of  this  conspiracy  to  pull 
down  a  competitor  both  in  the  banking  and  stock 
gambling  world ;  so  well  known  are  the  examples 
that  I  do  not  need  to  mention  names  to  be  under- 
stood. But  still  it  goes  on.  In  Memphis  we  have 
a  recent  example  of  the  same  sort.  One  of  the 
biggest  bankers,  a  most  trusted  man,  uses  more 


260  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

than  two  million  dollars  of  the  money  of  the  de 
positors  in  the  cotton  market  gaming  down  ii 
New  York,  and  is  unable  to  restore  the  losses. 

Who  has  all  of  these  millions  and  billions  o 
squandered  moneys?  The  big  fish  always  eat  u 
the  little  fish,  and  so  it  is  in  the  stock-gamblin 
world.  These  outlaw  stock  gamblers,  these  gam 
biers  beyond  the  law,  hold  and  keep  the  untol 
billions  stolen  by  thousands  of  defaulting  offi 
cials,  both  public  and  private,  who  have  bee 
and  are  now  languishing  in  the  prisons  of  th 
nation ;  moneys  which  were  gambled  away  in  th 
stock  exchanges  of  the  boards  of  trade  all  ove 
the  land.  This  is  the  principal  business  of  th 
kings  of  finance  in  this,  the  twentieth  centur 
of  so-called  civilization  in  the  heart  of  Christer 
dom,  in  justice  and  freedom-loving  America.  ] 
begins  to  look  like  some  of  our  citizens  enjo 
entirely  too  much  liberty  and  freedom,  as  we 
as  a  monopoly  of  the  interpretation  and  adminii 
tration  of  that  chameleon-like  article  called  jus 
tice. 

When  a  man  loses  his  money  at  the  gamin 
table  of  some  small  fry  gamekeeper  who  is  opei 
ating  without  the  sanction  of  the  written  law,  th 
money  may  be  promptly  recovered  by  an  actio 
at  law  in  most  states,  and  in  some  the  wife  or 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan         261 

conservator  may  sue  if  the  head  of  the  house 
declines  or  is  afraid  to  take  such  action.  Why 
should  a  different  rule  prevail  in  dealing  with 
the  big  fish?  Will  some  Solon  of  the  army  of 
lawyers  for  the  outlaw  dollar  hogs  answer  this 
query  in  a  straightforward  manner?  Or  perhaps 
some  sage  on  the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  land  will 
be  good  enough  to  give  us  a  straight  answer  to  a 
plain  question  in  behalf  of  the  dollar  hogs.  I 
can  imagine  the  owlish  look  of  wisdom  which 
steals  over  his  wizened  countenance  as  he  repeats 
that  old  falsity  of  the  supposed  maxims  of  equity, 
that  he  who  comes  into  a  court  of  equity  must 
come  with  clean  hands.  What  a  convenient  piece 
of  rubbish  to  aid  dollar  hog  gamblers  and  crooks, 
and  how  it  likewise  relieves  the  lazy  judges  of 
an  enormous  amount  of  labor  and  real  work,  to 
which  most  of  them  are  strangers. 

Our  courts  have  repeatedly  and  almost  uni- 
versally declared  that  race-track  wagering  and 
transactions  are  gambling,  but  they  refuse  to  apply 
the  same  rule  to  board-of -trade  gambling.  Why? 
Because  it  would  catch  too  many  of  the  big 
fellows,  and  they  won't  stand  for  it.  The  poli- 
ticians, who  make  the  judges  with  the  money  of 
these  big  fellows,  show  them  that  there  is  a  higher 
law  which  they  dare  not  trespass  upon  if  they 


262  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

value  their  reputations,  their  political  futures,  and 
especially  if  they  desire  to  succeed  themselves. 
This  is  the  unwritten  law,  of  course,  but  it  is 
none  the  less  potent.  It  is  almighty.  It  makes 
all  of  them  scratch  their  heads  and  think  twice 
before  they  pass  upon  the  proposition. 

In  the  recent  prosecution  of  the  bucket  shop 
king  of  Chicago,  the  Department  of  Justice  at 
Washington,  and  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  were  persuaded  into  the  belief  that  they 
might  not  have  sufficient  evidence  to  convict  the 
king  of  bucketshoppers,  although  he  was  caught 
with  the  goods  on  him,  as  the  men  of  the  street 
are  wont  to  express  it,  so  they  allowed  him  to 
plead  guilty  and  pay  a  fine  of  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars, which  this  poor  innocent  was  perfectly  will- 
ing to  do,  not  because  he  was  guilty,  but  simply 
to  get  rid  of  this  insignificant  sum  of  money,  and 
to  show  his  loyalty  to  the  old  Flag,  and  to  prove 
to  his  friends  in  the  Department  of  Justice  and 
to  the  President  that  he  was  a  "good  fellow"  and 
had  no  desire  to  overwork  them. 

The  time  is  coming  when  this  sort  of  discrim- 
ination will  end,  when  gambling  will  be  gam- 
bling, whether  it  be  big  or  little  fry  who  indulge 
in  it;  and  the  boards  of  trade,  so-called,  will  pass 
into  oblivion  along  with  the  memories  and  cus- 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan         263 

toms  of  the  Forum  at  Rome,  where  the  same 
spirit  prevailed,  that  spirit  which  said  it  was 
right  that  only  the  fittest  should  survive,  and  that 
justice  could  only  belong  to  the  strong. 

And  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  every  pub- 
lic servant  in  the  land  will  be  elected  by  the 
people,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  and  will 
be  held  personally  responsible  for  his  opinions 
and  acts  in  the  discharge  of  his  public  duties. 
God  speed  the  day,  if  justice  is  ever  to  reign  in 
our  midst! 

We  established  our  government  in  the  District 
of  Lake  Michigan  without  any  flourish  of  author- 
ity or  blare  of  trumpets,  and,  in  fact,  without  any 
undue  demonstration.  One  of  my  outhouses  was 
converted  into  a  temple  of  justice,  and  a  sign 
placed  above  its  door  proclaimed  its  august  char- 
acter. Our  deliberations,  elections,  and  other 
necessary  assemblages  were  held  in  this  building 
until  the  police  authorities  of  Chicago  regarded 
it  with  secret  disfavor,  and  one  night,  in  company 
with  numerous  hired  thugs,  during  my  temporary 
absence,  tore  down  the  structure  with  great  gusto 
and  unusual  demonstration,  as  I  was  informed 
by  spectators,  and  stole  the  lumber  of  which  it 
was  built.  I  never  knew  to  what  purpose  they 
devoted  the  loot,  and  did  not  care  very  much, 


264  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

for  it  was  not  very  valuable.  Then  they  filed  a 
charge  against  me  which  they  designated  as  un- 
lawful assembly,  and  had  me  arrested.  I  waived 
arraignment  and  let  them  bind  me  over  to  the 
grand  jury,  which  indicted  me,  as  was  naturally 
to  be  expected  from  a  body  which  hears  only 
one  side  of  a  controversy,  and  which  usually 
harkens  to  the  advice  of  the  state's  attorney,  who 
in  this  case  was  as  usual  under  the  domination  of 
the  millionaires.  Upon  the  trial  of  the  case  I 
was  found  not  guilty  and  discharged. 

Shortly  after  this  one  of  my  warmest  friends 
and  defenders,  William  H.  Niles,  conceived  the 
idea  that  he  could  declare  himself  military  gov- 
ernor of  the  territory  without  the  necessary  ap- 
pointment by  the  chief  executive  of  the  nation. 
In  this  move  I  had  no  part,  and  it  was  done 
without  my  knowledge  or  consent.  I  admired  his 
nerve  and  fighting  spirit,  but  I  did  not  approve 
his  judgment,  for  I  knew  full  well  that  he  was 
making  a  mistake  from  a  legal  standpoint.  His 
declaration  of  authority  over  the  territory,  which 
was  purely  civil  and  had  no  relation  whatever  to 
the  title  to  the  land  itself,  was  undertaken  under 
the  cover  of  darkness,  which  does  not  bode  good 
to  any  cause. 

But  be  that  as  it  may,  one  fine  morning  the  resi- 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan         265 

dents  of  the  district  awoke  to  find  Governor  Niles 
on  hand  with  about  forty  or  fifty  gentlemen  as 
his  military  escort;  and  for  some  unknown  reason 
they  had  taken  the  precaution  to  dig  intrench- 
ments  and  throw  up  breastworks  on  the  borders 
of  the  district,  and  these  were  even  surmounted 
with  barbed  wire.  His  men  were  all  armed 
with  old  muskets,  which  were  loaded  with  powder 
and  ball,  for  what  purpose  nobody  seemed  to 
know,  since  there  was  no  immediate  occasion  for 
warlike  preparations.  I  was  soon  advised  of 
these  happenings  and  with  others  at  once  took 
occasion  to  survey  the  situation. 

Governor  Niles  was  not  long  left  in  peace 
or  in  possession  of  the  territory,  for  his  presence 
seemed  to  have  about  the  same  effect  upon  the 
Chicago  police  that  is  usually  produced  by  a 
red  banner  waved  in  the  face  of  a  bull.  From 
their  conduct  on  this  occasion  one  would  naturally 
have  surmised  that  the  gravest  danger  threatened 
the  inhabitants  of  the  entire  city,  and  perchance 
that  Tecumseh  and  his  vanquished  hosts  of  dead 
warriors  had  suddenly  been  resurrected  and  were 
about  to  storm  the  city.  Hundreds  of  blue- 
coated  "bobbies"  swarmed  about  the  borders  of 
the  territory,  fussing  about  just  as  so  many 
bumblebees  might  do  in  the  neighborhood  of  their 


266  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

disturbed  habitat.  And,  like  those  testy  little 
insects,  they  did  not  apparently  know  just  whom 
or  what  to  sting. 

One  of  their  noble  officers,  Captain  Barney 
Baer,  finally  appeared  on  the  scene  and  rode 
within  hailing  distance  of  Governor  Niles,  who 
immediately  ordered  him  to  halt  and  get  out 
of  the  district.  This  he  did  not  feel  inclined 
to  do,  and  the  governor  promptly  shot  down 
his  horse.  Captain  Baer  thereupon  ran  for  cover, 
feeling  that  the  neighborhood  was  an  unhealthy 
spot. 

At  this  juncture  the  police  approached  me 
and  wanted  to  know  the  meaning  of  the  situation. 
I  told  them  that  it  was  as  unexpected  to  me  as 
it  was  to  them,  and  that  I  had  no  part  in  it, 
which  they  were  disinclined  to  believe.  Conse- 
quently our  colloquy  resulted  in  a  quarrel  which 
had  no  reasonable  basis  in  fact.  They  threatened 
my  arrest  if  I  did  not  call  Niles  out  of  the  dis- 
trict; but  I  declined  to  do  this  because  he  was 
a  friend  and  I  secretly  admired  his  grit. 

The  police  made  so  much  fuss,  and  threatened 
the  governor  and  his  men  with  such  dire  con- 
sequences, that  the  courage  of  the  latter  began 
to  ooze  away,  and  one  by  one  they  silently  and 
stealthily  dropped  out  of  the  ranks  until  the 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan         267 

governor  was  almost  deserted.  At  this  point  the 
police  plucked  up  courage  enough  to  arrest  him, 
and  under  the  circumstances,  he  offered  no  fur- 
ther resistance. 

After  his  arrest  the  police,  who  should  have 
protected  their  prisoner,  permitted  hired  thugs 
to  rush  in  to  him  and  strike  him  viciously;  but 
the  governor  was  a  husky  individual  himself  and 
gave  them  almost  as  good  as  they  gave  him. 
It  was,  however,  a  disgraceful  spectacle,  which 
the  police  would  have  had  no  difficulty  in  pre- 
venting. Niles  was  not  convicted  of  the  serious 
charge  upon  which  he  was  arrested,  so  the  whole 
affair  turned  out  to  be  a  roaring  farce,  in  which 
the  police  received  the  bulk  of  the  laughter. 
It  was  the  old  story  of  much  ado  about  nothing. 

At  one  time  about  fifty  Siberians  who  were 
on  their  way  to  the  neighborhood  of  Houghton 
Lake,  where  they  had  purchased  considerable 
land,  asked  permission  to  camp  on  my  premises 
for  a  few  days  in  order  to  rest  their  tired  horses 
and  to  recuperate  a  little  themselves.  I  had 
no  objection  whatever,  and,  in  fact,  was  pleased 
to  accommodate  them,  so  they  settled  down  peace- 
fully on  my  homestead  without  any  sort  of 
demonstration  whatever.  Not  long  after  a  swarm 
of  policemen  came  buzzing  curiously  about  the 


268  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

camp,  thinking,  as  I  afterward  learned,  that  these 
poor  people  were  Indians.  Knowing  that  the 
Pottawatomies  were  friends  of  mine,  by  a  great 
flight  of  imagination,  they  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  Pottawatomies  were  on  deck  to 
aid  me  in  some  unknown  scheme.  Consequently, 
the  police  were  immediately  aroused  to  oppo- 
sition, and  the  Siberians  were  ordered  to  move 
on  in  double  quick. 

I  happened  to  hear  this  order  given  and  im- 
mediately appeared  on  the  scene  and  informed 
the  police  that  these  people  were  here  with  my 
permission,  and  that  I  proposed  to  see  that  they 
were  not  molested.  I  told  them  that  they  might 
just  as  well  move  out  of  the  district  if  they  wished 
to  avoid  serious  trouble.  They  knew  from  the 
manner  in  which  I  spoke  that  I  meant  business, 
and  they  speedily  decided  to  get  legal  advice 
before  starting  any  trouble.  They  did  not  re- 
turn, so  I  presume  they  were  informed  that  they 
were  entirely  too  hasty  and  would  better  not 
proceed  further  in  that  direction. 

During  these  years  the  police,  who  had  en- 
tered into  a  coalition  with  the  millionaires,  acted 
much  as  though  the  title  to  these  lands  was  in 
the  police  department,  and  that  it  was  a  part  of 
their  jurisdiction  to  try  and  determine  questions 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          269 

of  title  to  realty,  a  function  which  has  always 
been  delegated  to  the  civil  courts  of  our  land, 
a  fact  which  I  had  learned  long  years  before  I 
had  ever  seen  the  city  of  Chicago.  I  had  read 
Blackstone's  Commentaries  and  numerous  other 
legal  works  before  reaching  my  majority,  and 
my  father  gave  me  much  practical  advice  from 
time  to  time  during  the  progress  of  many  law- 
suits in  which  he  was  counsel.  I  could  best  most 
of  the  pettifoggers  who  were  practicing  around 
the  justice  shops  and  police  courts  any  day,  and 
I  made  some  of  the  best  lawyers  in  Chicago 
respect  my  opinions  and  my  rights  as  well  from 
time  to  time.  I  nearly  always  defended  myself 
in  the  brushes  with  the  police,  deputy  sheriffs, 
detectives  and  thugs,  and  seldom  got  the  worst 
of  it  when  I  had  a  fair  trial.  I  always  appealed 
if  I  was  not  accorded  my  rights,  and  came  out  in 
good  shape  in  the  upper  courts. 

The  year  after  the  World's  Fair  at  Jackson 
Park,  a  gang  of  these  hired  officers,  during  my 
absence,  burned  our  house  on  the  old  scow,  after 
having  first  set  our  furniture  and  piano  out 
on  the  ground.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
all  this  occurred  within  the  eyesight  of  the 
police,  none  of  the  persons  guilty  of  both  arson 
and  housebreaking  were  apprehended,  nor  was 


270  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

any  effort  ever  made  to  apprehend  them.  This  is 
only  one  of  many  incidents  which  proved  the  con- 
nivance of  the  police  department  with  the  million- 
aires in  their  efforts  to  eject  me,  and  thus  aid  in 
robbing  me  of  title  to  this  land,  a  matter  in  which 
they  had  no  legitimate  concern,  and  which  was 
entirely  foreign  to  their  business.  The  civil  courts 
alone  could  lawfully  determine  that  question, 
and  it  was  a  dastardly  interference  on  their  part, 
which  did  not  stop  at  criminal  acts  under  cover 
of  darkness,  to  aid  these  lawless  tools  of  those 
who  did  not  possess  the  courage  to  come  out  into 
the  open  and  attack  me,  or  into  a  court  of  civil 
jurisdiction  and  challenge  my  rights  upon  the 
premises  which  I  created,  occupied,  and  owned. 
Their  other  acts  of  like  character  were  legion, 
and  I  could  not  attempt  to  enumerate  them.  I 
can  merely  take  time  to  relate  a  few  which  indi- 
cate the  situation  clearly  and  unmistakably. 

I  ordered  a  big  moving  van  to  the  scene  as 
soon  as  I  found  my  home  destroyed  and  my  things 
lying  unprotected  on  the  ground,  and  also  put 
up  a  tent.  Then  I  immediately  constructed  two 
small  houses  and  had  them  hauled  to  the  premises. 
During  the  following  night  the  police  hauled 
them  away  and  planted  them,  van  and  houses, 
upon  a  piece  of  ground  belonging  to  the  city 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          271 

near  the  Randolph  Street  bridge.  They  also 
drove  off  a  wagon  and  contents  belonging  to  a 
friend  of  mine  from  Michigan,  by  the  name  of 
"Billy"  McManners,  who  had  settled  upon  the 
district  by  my  permission. 

We  went  down  to  the  place  where  our  things 
had  been  thus  unlawfully  removed  by  the  police, 
and  took  possession  of  them,  and  I  can  assure 
you  that  any  person  who  came  about  and  at- 
tempted to  interfere  with  us  received  as  complete 
a  beating  as  we  were  able  to  administer,  police 
and  hired  thugs  alike.  We  made  no  discrimina- 
tion in  favor  of  or  against  any  of  them,  and 
accepted  all  comers.  We  had  many  bloody  bat- 
tles before  we  headed  our  wagons  back  to  the 
district,  which  we  did  as  soon  as  we  were  fully 
prepared  to  do  so. 

When  we  approached  the  district  at  Superior 
Street  the  police  appeared  in  force  and  attempted 
to  head  us  off,  but  the  bullets  from  our  Win- 
chesters whizzed  so  uncomfortably  close  to  their 
ears  that  they  retired  from  the  scene  of  action, 
appearing  content  to  hover  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  district  for  several  days,  during  which  time 
we  wiped  the  earth  with  scores  of  them.  At 
that  stage  in  our  affairs  we  were  really  desperate 
and  would  brook  no  interference  with  our  rights 


272  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

from  any  source,  and  we  impressed  that  fact 
almost  hourly  upon  them.  The  crowds  of  people 
standing  about  almost  constantly  gave  us  their 
warmest  sympathy  and  from  time  to  time  cheered 
us  on  to  fresh  courage.  It  was  something  of  an 
inspiration  to  know  that  the  justice  of  our  posi- 
tion was  being  recognized  by  the  truly  disinter- 
ested. 

In  a  malignant  effort  to  annoy  and  harass  us 
the  police  went  before  one  of  the  judges  in  Cook 
County  and  made  representations  that  the  two- 
year-old-child  of  Me  Manner's  was  being  improp- 
erly cared  for,  although  its  mother  did  little  else 
than  care  for  it,  and  sought  to  have  the  child 
removed  from  their  custody.  Upon  these  false 
representations  the  court  sent  physicians  down 
to  examine  the  child  and  to  remove  it  if  they 
felt  inclined  to  do  so  after  an  examination.  We 
were  so  enraged  at  this  palpable  and  despicable 
scheme  to  injure  our  rights  that  we  gave  the 
doctors  a  good  drubbing  and  ran  them  out  of 
the  district,  as  well  as  the  policemen  who  came 
with  them.  Then  came  warrants,  which  we  ig- 
nored also,  not  having  any  time  just  at  that 
juncture  to  waste  in  fruitless  pettifogging  while 
our  possessions  were  not  yet  fixed  in  our  new 
houses,  and  while  our  interests  were  being  men- 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          273 

aced  by  the  police  and  the  hired  thugs  who  hung 
on  the  borders  of  the  district  like  so  many  hyenas, 
only  waiting  a  convenient  opportunity  during 
our  absence  to  swoop  down  and  destroy  our 
habitation  and  home. 

We  finally  got  our  possessions  fixed  once  more 
in  our  houses,  and  continued  to  defend  our  homes 
from  day  to  day  against  all  persons  who  pre- 
sumed too  far  on  our  acquaintance,  and  such 
gentry  were  numerous.  However,  our  reception 
parties  were  too  warm  for  their  comfort  and 
they  never  tarried  very  long  at  a  time.  They 
often  skulked  about  during  the  night,  seeking 
for  an  opportunity  to  set  fire  to  our  houses  or 
to  ascertain  some  fact  that  might  be  advantageous 
to  their  nefarious  designs,  and  we  were  often 
apprised  by  friends  of  their  presence  and  exact 
location. 

Whenever  we  were  able  to  learn  their  exact 
whereabouts,  one  of  us  would  usually  make  some 
sort  of  demonstration  to  attract  their  attention, 
and  while  thus  interested  I  would  make  a  detour 
and  get  in  their  rear,  and  then  the  old  musket 
came  into  full  play.  Using  it  as  a  club,  a  trick 
which  I  had  well  learned  in  many  a  battle  in 
the  Civil  War,  with  a  few  swift  and  well  directed 
blows  I  toppled  them  over  into  dreamland,  and 


274  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

if  any  were  left  unscathed  they  beat  a  hasty 
retreat,  glad  to  escape  the  fate  of  their  fellows. 

Two  sons  of  a  well-known  millionaire  were 
caught  in  this  fashion,  both  of  them  husky  young 
athletes  who  prided  themselves  on  their  prowess 
in  that  direction.  They  had  cherished  the  fond 
hope  that  they  might  catch  the  old  man  napping 
and  doubtless  crack  his  skull  or  break  his  neck, 
and  thus  more  speedily  end  the  fruitless  war- 
fare, which  no  doubt  was  expensive  to  the  family 
exchequer,  and  the  defeats  galling  to  the  young 
bloods.  I  left  them  in  such  a  bruised  and  bat- 
tered condition  that  they  had  to  be  carried  out 
of  the  district  in  ambulances,  and  to  my  knowl- 
edge they  never  again  visited  my  premises. 

I  also  served  a  crooked  and  pestiferous  lawyer 
in  the  same  fashion  when  he  too  persistently  at- 
tempted to  bluff  and  annoy  us.  He  carried  a 
broken  arm  in  a  sling  for  many  a  day,  and  his 
bruised  and  battered  countenance  was  a  ludicrous 
picture  in  police  court  when  I  was  arraigned  for 
assault  some  days  after  the  encounter.  He  never 
came  about  the  premises  afterward,  although  I 
knew  that  he  was  still  directing  the  movements 
of  others.  I  gave  him  to  understand  that  he 
might  not  be  able  to  get  away  if  I  ever  found 
him  upon  the  premises  in  the  future,  and  he 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan          275 

was  wise  enough  to  know  that  I  meant  exactly 
what  I  said. 

During  my  absence  for  a  few  hours,  at  one 
time,  Captain  Shaack,  with  other  police  officers, 
unlawfully  entered  my  house  and  took  two  re- 
volvers away  with  them  to  the  Chicago  Avenue 
station.  When  I  learned  of  this  I  was  thoroughly 
enraged,  and  I  resolved  that  I  would  have  the 
matter  out  very  speedily  with  this  plundering 
captain  of  police,  so  I  grabbed  up  my  old  musket 
(I  already  had  two  revolvers  strapped  to  my 
belt)  and  went  at  once  to  the  police  station, 
where  I  cornered  Captain  Shaack  in  short  order. 

Covering  him  with  my  musket,  in  the  presence 
of  other  officers,  I  demanded  my  revolvers,  and 
at  the  same  time  told  him  with  due  emphasis 
that  he  was  an  outlaw,  and  that  he  knew  full 
well  he  had  violated  the  Constitution  and  the  Bill 
of  Rights  when  he  invaded  my  house  and  stole 
them;  and  further,  that  if  he  ever  interfered  in 
such  an  unlawful  manner  with  my  possessions 
again,  I  proposed  to  shoot  him,  or  he  would 
shoot  me.  I  also  told  him  that  no  old  renegade 
like  him  who  had  been  chased  out  of  Philadelphia 
because  of  crooked  work  could  ever  violate  my 
rights  with  impunity  and  escape  disgrace;  that 
I  had  investigated  his  record  in  the  East  and 


276  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

stood  ready  to  prove  it.  This  was  a  rare  piece 
of  news  to  his  officers,  and  it  had  a  very  visible 
effect  on  his  countenance.  "Captain,"  he  said  to 
me,  "you  can  have  your  weapons  and  we  will 
say  no  more  about  it."  He  then  ordered  the 
revolvers  brought  to  me,  and  I  carried  them  back 
home.  I  was  never  troubled  by  the  captain  after- 
ward. 

On  another  occasion  I  had  used  the  butt  of  that 
same  old  musket  on  his  head  and  shoulders,  and 
knocked  him  out  completely,  so  he  knew  that  I 
meant  business.  I  had  looked  out  of  my  window 
on  the  old  scow  one  night  and  saw  Captain 
Shaack  and  Officer  Kehoe  approaching  my  prem- 
ises as  they  passed  under  a  street  light,  and  sur- 
mised that  they  were  up  to  some  trick,  or  they 
would  never  have  sallied  forth  at  such  an  hour 
as  midnight;  so  I  slipped  out,  musket  in  hand, 
and  hid  behind  a  short  stretch  of  fence  about 
ten  feet  high.  They  didn't  realize  my  presence 
until  I  sprang  at  them  like  a  tiger,  and  delivered 
a  knockout  blow  on  the  head  and  shoulders  of 
Shaack,  who  dropped  like  a  log.  Then  I  sprang 
for  Kehoe,  shouting  at  him  as  I  did  so,  "I've 
got  you  now!"  But  the  latter  ran  as  fast  as  he 
could  in  the  direction  from  whence  he  had  come, 
and  I  then  returned  to  attend  the  captain,  who 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan         277 

had  recovered  use  of  himself,  and  was  running 
as  fast  as  his  condition  would  permit. 

I  let  him  go,  but  shouted  dire  threats  and  im- 
precations at  him  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  to 
impress  him  with  the  fact  that  this  was  danger- 
ous territory  to  invade  under  cover  of  darkness, 
and  that  in  the  future  he  would  better  keep  his 
distance.  I  was  also  advised  by  a  very  reputable 
family,  who  claimed  to  be  in  possession  of  the 
facts,  that  he  was  an  accomplice  of  Dan  Coughlan 
in  the  murder  of  Doctor  Cronin,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  he  was  crook  enough  to  have  been 
guilty  of  anything  which  would  bring  him  a 
dirty  penny.  I  know  he  would  have  willingly 
connived  at  my  murder  if  he  could  have  accom- 
plished it;  but  he  was  very  much  afraid  of  my 
wits  and  the  experience  that  I  had  passed  through 
in  the  army.  I  was  a  little  too  handy  with  the 
use  of  firearms  and  clubbed  muskets  to  suit  his 
taste. 

I  had  a  highly  interesting  experience  with  the 
successor  of  Captain  Shaack  one  night  just  before 
I  had  taken  my  household  goods  out  of  the  van, 
at  the  time  my  house  on  the  scow  was  burned,  as 
I  have  already  related.  I  had  a  tent  up,  and  the 
van  stood  beside  the  tent,  and  was  only  partially 
unloaded.  Among  other  things  it  contained  two 


278  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

big  iron  safes,  which  made  effective  breastworks 
for  me  to  fire  from  whenever  the  police  and  the 
hired  thugs  appeared  on  the  premises.  These 
safes  were  hard  to  beat  for  defensive  operations. 

Captain  Max  Heidelmeier  and  some  of  his 
men  had  been  prowling  around  under  cover  of 
darkness  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining,  if  possible, 
some  strategic  advantage  over  me,  and  of  pre- 
venting me  from  removing  my  goods  and  placing 
them  permanently  in  the  two  houses  which  I  had 
moved  on  to  the  premises.  The  captain  made  the 
mistake  of  separating  from  his  men,  and  attempt- 
ing to  do  a  little  scouting  on  his  own  hook.  My 
friends  McManners,  Hulkey,  and  Niles  captured 
him  before  he  had  proceeded  a  hundred  yards, 
and  marched  him  under  cover  of  firearms  to  the 
van,  where  I  was  holding  the  fort  between  the  two 
iron  safes. 

I  was  alive  to  the  situation,  and  resolved  to 
make  the  most  of  it,  by  scaring  the  old  captain 
as  nearly  to  death  as  I  was  capable  of  doing. 
I  ordered  the  boys  to  disarm  him,  and  then  march 
him  up  to  the  open  end  of  the  van,  where  I 
would  administer  the  death  sentence.  They  car- 
ried out  my  orders  to  the  letter;  and  I  then  com- 
manded him  to  kneel  and  pray  before  I  pulled 
the  trigger  of  the  old  musket,  with  which  I  had 


The  District  of  Lake  Michigan         279 

him  covered.  He  fell  upon  his  knees  instantly, 
and  implored  me  in  the  most  abject  and  beseech- 
ing manner  that  I  had  ever  seen  any  human  being 
beg  for  life  (and  I  had  witnessed  many  such 
scenes  in  the  army  life)  until  I  really  feared  for 
his  reason.  He  said  he  would  take  a  solemn  oath, 
if  I  would  not  kill  him,  that  he  would  never 
molest  me  in  the  future,  and  that  he  would  never 
send  any  more  of  his  men  on  to  my  premises  to 
harass  or  annoy  me,  and  that  he  would  faithfully 
befriend  me  if  opportunity  ever  offered  a  chance. 
I  appeared  reluctant  to  swerve  from  my  appar- 
ently fixed  determination  to  end  his  dishonorable 
career  without  further  consideration,  but  finally 
said  to  the  boys  that  I  had  a  notion  to  try  him 
out  and  see  if  there  was  any  manhood  left  in 
him,  and  if  his  oath  was  worth  anything.  I  also 
cautiously  added  that  I  could  get  him  anyhow 
at  any  time  that  I  wanted  to;  in  fact,  had  already 
had  several  chances  to  have  killed  him  within 
the  fair  boundaries  of  the  law,  but  had  desisted. 
I  then  ordered  his  release,  and  he  made  his  exit 
from  the  district  in  record  time,  and  ever  after 
that  he  treated  me  with  proper  and  just  consid- 
eration, such  as  an  officer  ought  on  all  occasions 
accord  to  every  citizen,  no  matter  what  their  cir- 
cumstances or  station  in  life. 


280  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

In  the  long  years  that  I  have  been  in  possession 
of  the  homestead  on  the  lake,  and  in  the  lake,  I 
have  had  a  thousand  battles  with  these  unlawful 
invaders,  of  one  character  or  another,  of  which 
the  ones  I  have  related  are  more  or  less  typical, 
and  I  think  I  may  truthfully  say  that  since  the 
doctrine  of  the  adverse  possession  of  realty  has 
been  a  part  of  the  jurisprudence  of  the  land,  I 
have  maintained  my  possession  with  a  greater 
degree  of  hostility  than  any  man  who  ever  lived, 
and  with  more  openness  and  notoriety;  so  much 
so  that  my  very  name  has  for  years  been  associated 
with  the  tract  in  the  mind  of  everyone.  It  has 
long  been  known  as  "Streeterville"  to  the  people, 
the  press,  public  records,  and  documents  of  the 
city,  county  and  state. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TRIED  FOR  MURDER 

In  this  battle  for  my  rights  I  was  loyally  sec- 
onded and  assisted  by  my  wife,  Maria  Streeter, 
who  has  passed  away.  I  think  a  braver  and  more 
loyal  hearted  woman  never  lived,  and  I  feel  that 
as  a  matter  of  justice  to  her  memory  a  word 
should  be  said  of  her,  before  this  story  is  ended. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Mulholland.  She  was 
born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  possessed  every  noble 
trait  of  her  race,  with  none  of  their  faults.  Her 
father  was  an  officer  in  the  British  Army,  and 
was  killed  in  the  Crimean  War.  In  her  early 
womanhood  she  had  been  a  school  teacher  in  her 
native  land,  but  she  came  to  America  with  her 
sister,  to  live  with  their  uncle,  the  late  John 
Ward  of  Detroit,  the  millionaire  shipbuilder  and 
owner.  It  was  there  that  I  first  met  and  knew 
her,  although  we  were  not  married  for  several 
years  thereafter.  She  married  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Jordan,  from  Pennsylvania,  who  was 
a  Union  soldier,  and  with  whom  she  only  lived 
a  few  short  months  before  he  went  away  to 


282  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

defend  his  country,  never  to  return  to  her  again. 

Left  alone,  she  operated  a  commission  business 
in  Pittsburgh  for  a  few  years  with  profit,  and 
finally  sent  for  her  aged  mother  to  cross  the 
Atlantic  and  join  her,  that  she  might  spend  her 
remaining  days  with  her  children,  both  of  whom 
were  in  America.  My  wife,  soon  after  her 
mother's  coming  to  this  country,  removed  with 
her  to  Chicago,  and  it  was  not  long  thereafter 
that  we  were  married.  Later  this  good  old  lady 
died  on  the  District  of  Lake  Michigan,  where 
she  was  making  her  home  with  us. 

It  may  be  truly  said  that  when  my  wife  married 
me  it  was  "for  better  or  for  worse,"  and  she  stuck 
to  me  through  every  experience,  through  sunshine 
and  shadow.  She  never  expressed  herself  as 
sorry  for  her  decision.  She  had  a  sunshiny  dis- 
position, always  looking  on  the  bright  side  of 
life,  and  no  matter  what  the  situation,  though  it 
were  fraught  with  hardship  or  danger,  she  could 
always  see  the  clouds  lined  with  silver.  To 
have  been  blessed  with  such  a  helpmate  was  in- 
deed a  wonderful  inspiration  to  me,  for  if  ever 
a  man  needed  such  companionship,  I  certainly 
did.  I  should  have  been  miserable  with  a  discon- 
tented or  a  cowardly  woman.  Her  Irish  love  for 
home  and  its  defense  won  many  a  battle  on  the 


Tried  for  Murder  283 

lake  front,  for  she  could  use  a  musket  loaded  with 
bird  shot  to  good  effect,  as  many  a  thug  who 
thought  to  force  an  entrance  to  the  Streeter  home- 
stead could  painfully  and  reluctantly  testify. 

Those  were  days  to  test  the  stoutest  heart,  and 
she  proved  herself  to  be  pure  gold,  tried  out  in 
a  crucible  test  such  as  few  women  of  this  country 
have  ever  been  called  upon  to  pass  through.  She 
died  on  the  District  in  1904,  and  I  was  not  per- 
mitted to  be  at  her  bedside  as  she  left  these  shores 
for  her  last  voyage,  nor  to  minister  to  her  wants 
during  her  last  illness,  for  I  was  at  that  time 
incarcerated  for  the  alleged  commission  of  a  crime 
of  which  I  was  not  guilty,  and  I  shall  now  relate 
the  circumstances  which  led  up  to  and  resulted 
in  that  situation. 

During  the  winter  of  1902  a  notorious  Missouri 
outlaw  and  crook  by  the  name  of  John  Kirk 
had  been  imported  to  Chicago  for  the  express 
purpose  of  assisting  in  removing  me  from  this 
mundane  sphere,  for  which  he  was  to  be  paid  a 
stipulated  sum,  if  he  succeeded.  Of  these  facts 
I  have  ample  proof.  He  was  associated  with  the 
other  thugs  and  so-called  officials  who  were  en- 
gaged in  the  same  pursuit,  and  one  night  they 
made  a  raid  into  the  district  to  carry  out  their 
murderous  and  felonious  purpose. 


284  Captain  Streetert  Pioneer 

They  commenced  operations  by  shooting  at  the 
houses  of  McManners  and  Hulkey,  both  of  whom 
were  in  possession  of  these  houses  with  their 
families  by  my  permission  and  consent.  The  rifle 
shots  passed  entirely  through  these  houses,  and  the 
occupants  were  obliged  to  seek  shelter  outside 
their  homes.  They  concealed  themselves  in  the 
tall  weeds  near  their  homes,  and  endeavored  to 
locate  the  direction  of  the  rifle  shots.  They  finally 
ascertained  that  they  came  from  a  little  shed 
which  had  been  used  for  a  shelter  by  a  man  who 
kept  track  of  the  loads  of  sand  removed  from 
the  sand  pit  a  short  distance  away  near  Oak  street. 
McManners  and  Hulkey  then  opened  fire  on  this 
shed  purely  as  a  matter  of  defense,  and  the  occu- 
pants fled  to  the  cover  of  the  tall  weeds  which 
grew  all  about. 

I  was  much  farther  away,  and  in  my  home 
when  I  heard  the  shooting,  and  likewise  took  to 
the  weeds  for  safety,  and  for  observation,  but  I 
did  not  engage  in  the  shooting,  because  I  was 
not  in  danger  at  that  time.  While  concealed  in 
the  weeds  I  saw  a  certain  lawyer,  accompanied 
by  a  disreputable  detective,  pass  by  and  secrete 
themselves  in  the  weeds  not  far  from  me.  They 
did  not  discover  my  presence,  and  I  did  not 
disclose  it  to  them. 


Tried  for  Murder  285 

I  simply  watched  their  operations  with  interest. 
They  took  deliberate  aim  at  the  party  which  was 
firing  on  McManners  and  Hulkey  and  blazed 
away.  Somebody  yelled  as  if  shot,  and  then  they 
sneaked  away.  The  firing  ceased  entirely  at  this 
stage,  and  upon  closer  investigation  I  learned  that 
a  man  had  been  shot  whose  name  was  John  Kirk. 
The  patrol  wagon  came,  and  McManners  and 
Hulkey  were  arrested  and  hauled  away  to  the 
police  station,  where  they  were  put  under  arrest, 
and  later  charged  with  his  murder. 

I  went  over  to  the  police  station  to  investigate, 
and  to  be  of  assistance  to  them,  and  while  there 
I  also  was  arrested,  charged  with  being  accessory 
to  the  alleged  murder.  I  was  liberated  on  bail, 
but  was  unable  to  find  bail  for  my  friends.  My 
associates  who  went  on  my  bond  knew  that  I 
would  never  decamp  and  leave  them  in  the  lurch ; 
in  fact,  they  well  knew  that  I  could  not  be  driven 
away  from  the  homestead,  but  I  was  not  able 
to  satisfy  them  that  McManners  and  Hulkey 
would  not  run  away  if  liberated  on  bail.  This 
was  always  a  source  of  great  sorrow  to  me,  for 
these  two  friends  always  imagined  that  I  did  not 
put  forth  enough  effort  to  secure  bail  for  them. 
They  reasoned  that  if  I  could  get  bail  so  easily  for 
myself,  that  I  ought  to  have  been  able  to  obtain 


286  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

it  for  them.  But  this  was  not  true.  We  often 
learn  in  this  life  that  things  are  not  always 
as  they  seem.  Nothing  would  have  pleased  me 
more  than  to  have  secured  the  liberty  of  my 
friends  on  bail,  for  they  were  both  fearless  and 
noble  fellows,  for  whom  I  shall  always  entertain 
the  greatest  admiration  and  gratitude  in  my  heart 
of  hearts. 

It  was  several  months  before  our  case  was  called 
for  trial  before  Judge  Cavanagh  and  a  jury  of 
our  peers.  After  days  and  weeks  of  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  state  and  its  attorneys  to  convict  us 
by  perjured  and  false  testimony,  the  jury  dis- 
agreed. Then  a  wait  of  almost  a  year  occurred 
before  we  were  placed  on  trial  for  the  second  time. 
This  time  we  were  arraigned  before  one  of  the 
most  incompetent  judges  who  ever  graced  the 
bench;  he  was  such  an  insignificant  character,  and 
has  since  fallen  into  such  oblivion  and  disgrace 
that  I  shall  not  even  mention  his  name.  He  knew 
about  as  much  about  presiding  over  a  court  of 
justice  as  the  average  justice  of  the  peace  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Bingville  or  Podunk. 

During  the  interval  which  had  elapsed,  the 
hired  and  crooked  attorneys  of  the  millionaire 
colony  had  been  busily  collecting  and  preparing 
an  abundance  of  new  perjury  and  false  testimony, 


Tried  for  Murder  287 

and  this  fact,  coupled  with  unfair  and  assinine 
rulings  of  the  court,  which  kept  from  the  jury 
most  of  our  most  valuable  and  pertinent  testimony, 
resulted  in  our  conviction  of  a  crime  of  which  we 
were  not  guilty,  while  the  real  murderers  today 
walk  the  streets  of  Chicago  unscathed. 

They  killed  this  man  for  the  very  purpose  of 
saddling  the  offense  onto  us,  and  then  brazenly, 
and  with  the  boldest  effrontery,  came  forward  and 
testified  that  they  had  seen  us  shoot  the  very  man 
whom  they  had  killed  in  cold  blood,  the  man 
whom  they  had  imported  to  take  my  life.  And 
they  selected  the  darkness  and  its  shadows  to 
aid  them  in  accomplishing  their  purpose. 

Unfortunately  in  our  defense  we  were  not 
blessed  with  the  services  of  competent  counsel, 
though  our  attorneys  doubtless  did  the  best  they 
could  under  the  circumstances;  but  I  am  now 
persuaded  that  if  we  had  possessed  the  foresight 
and  acumen  to  select  competent  counsel  we  would 
never  have  been  convicted.  Little  can  be  expected 
of  pettifoggers,  and  their  clients  are  rarely  dis- 
appointed. But  the  average  citizen  in  Chicago 
has  little  opportunity  to  judge  of  the  competency 
or  ability  of  attorneys.  In  the  smaller  cities  and 
towns  it  is  different.  There  the  citizen  knows 
the  result  of  every  case  that  every  member  of 


288  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

the  bar  ever  had,  and  every  one  of  them  is  judged 
by  the  community  at  their  true  worth,  for  their 
judgment  is  based  upon  an  open  record.  In  the 
great  cities  few  lawyers  are  ever  heard  of  unless 
they  are  either  extraordinary  personages  or  no- 
torious characters.  So  the  average  citizen  in 
selecting  counsel  has  just  about  as  much  of  an 
opportunity  to  select  counsel  intelligently  as  if 
he  had  selected  their  names  from  a  hatful  while 
blindfolded.  It  is  like  a  leap  in  the  dark.  You 
know  the  result  after  you  have  landed. 

After  our  conviction  we  were  granted  a  stay, 
and  after  this  had  elapsed  we  were  granted 
further  stays,  and  then  the  stay  ran  out  and 
nothing  was  done  for  weeks.  Finally  we  were 
sentenced.  Then  began  the  fight  to  save  us  from 
life  imprisonment.  In  my  case  several  applica- 
tions for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  were  made  before 
different  judges,  only  to  be  denied,  because  my 
lawyers  did  not  set  up  proper  and  available  facts. 
However,  I  finally  obtained  the  services  of  an 
able  colored  lawyer  by  the  name  of  Anderson, 
who  knew  his  business  thoroughly,  and  fortunately 
our  application  was  made  before  one  of  the  ablest 
and  fairest  judges  who  ever  served  the  people 
of  Cook  County  in  that  capacity,  a  man  uni- 
versally beloved  by  the  people  of  this  city,  county, 


Tried  for  Murder  289 

and  state,  and  now  honored  as  the  chief  executive 
of  the  state,  Edward  F.  Dunne,  and  may  he  live 
long  and  prosper. 

Upon  our  application  for  the  writ  he  ordered 
my  production  in  court  upon  the  following  day, 
and  served  notice  upon  the  state's  attorney  to 
appear  and  defend.  A  postponement,  however, 
resulted,  and  the  matter  did  not  come  up  for  hear- 
ing for  three  days  thereafter.  At  that  time  my 
counsel  presented  the  propositions  with  force  and 
much  ability,  and  the  state's  attorney  was  unable 
to  produce  any  authorities  in  point  which  refuted 
the  position  taken  by  my  counsel,  and  Judge 
Dunne  ordered  my  discharge  from  further  cus- 
tody. 

Thus  was  a  man  lifted  from  the  very  depths 
of  despair  to  the  heights  almost  of  heaven.  From 
prison  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  sweets  of  liberty 
and  freedom  is  a  long  journey.  I  have  often 
wondered  if  Judge  Dunne  ever  realized  the 
smallest  fraction  of  the  gratitude  which  filled  my 
heart,  and  the  deep  appreciation  with  which  I 
have  always  remembered  his  action.  It  is  true 
that  it  was  but  an  act  of  justice  which  ought  to 
characterize  the  action  of  every  judge  upon  the 
bench,  but  experience  teaches  us  that  it  does  not. 
I  venture  to  say  that  there  were  very  few  of 


290  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

them  who  would  have  had  the  sturdy  manhood 
to  liberate  me  when  they  knew  the  gauntlet  of 
criticism  which  they  would  have  to  run  from  the 
highbrows  who  had  succeeded  after  so  many  years 
of  effort  in  landing  me  in  durance  vile.  But 
like  that  other  great  commoner,  John  P.  Altgeld, 
he  did  not  seem  to  care  a  straw  about  their  criti- 
cism or  praise.  He  did  his  duty  and  let  that 
suffice  for  all  the  rest.  He  has  not  been  forgot- 
ten, and  his  record  will  live  in  years  to  come  to 
guide  the  pathway  of  others  who  may  not  possess 
his  noble  and  fearless  traits,  and  will  need  the 
inspiration  of  his  record  to  hold  them  fast  and 
true  to  the  right  course. 

My  friends  attended  this  hearing  by  the  hun- 
dreds, filling  the  court  room  and  the  corridors  of 
the  building  to  overflowing.  After  the  decision 
of  Judge  Dunne  they  crowded  round  me  and 
carried  me  out  of  the  room,  and  I  was  only 
rescued  by  the  sheriff,  to  whose  office  I  was 
obliged  to  go  to  carry  out  certain  necessary  for- 
malities. They  followed  me  there,  filled  that 
office,  and  finally  became  so  numerous  that  the 
doors  were  locked  and  barred  to  them.  It  was 
a  great  demonstration,  and  I  shall  never  forget 
the  sympathy  and  earnest  concern  of  these  friends 
who  had  faith  in  my  cause  and  stood  faithfully 


Tried  for  Murder  291 

behind  me  in  those  dark  days.  Those  were  the 
days  that  tried  men's  souls  and  tested  the  real 
qualities  of  friendship. 

Immediately  thereafter  the  state's  attorney  had 
my  friends,  McManners  and  Hulkey,  brought 
into  court  and  liberated,  not  wishing  to  undergo 
any  further  repetition  of  the  crushing  defeat 
which  they  had  received  in  my  case  at  the  hands 
of  Judge  Dunne.  Perhaps  they  thought  also  that 
since  the  man  they  were  really  after  had  escaped 
their  trap,  that  they  might  just  as  well  liberate 
his  lieutenants,  against  whom  they  had  no  real 
animus.  All  their  venom  was  used  on  me. 

During  my  imprisonment  my  wife  died  on  the 
District,  and  I  was  unable  to  be  at  her  bedside, 
but  was  permitted  to  attend  her  funeral.  This 
was  the  saddest  and  keenest  sorrow  that  the 
machinations  of  these  millionaires  ever  inflicted 
upon  me.  Retribution  has  already  come  to  many 
of  them  and  their  families.  Disaster  has  over- 
taken many  of  them,  and  death  has  claimed  others 
wholly  unprepared  for  its  visitation.  My  wife 
did  not  die  of  any  disease,  she  died  of  a  broken 
heart,  and  these  millionaires  were  as  truly  her 
murderers  as  though  they  had  stabbed  her  to  the 
heart  with  as  many  dagger  thrusts  as  the  mur- 
derers of  Caesar  inflicted  upon  him. 


292  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

She  thought  there  was  no  hope  for  my  liber- 
ation, and  that  my  life  and  her  own  was  a  closed 
book,  and  feeling  thus  she  had  no  wish  to  live 
longer.  Was  any  love  ever  greater  than  this?  I 
have  never  heard  of  love  that  surpassed  it.  If 
there  had  been  only  the  least  little  ray  of  hope 
she  would  have  survived,  but  she  could  not  dis- 
cern even  the  faintest,  and  life  died  within  her. 
In  the  hour  of  my  liberation  my  thoughts  were 
of  her,  and  my  inward  wish  and  prayer  was  that 
she  could  have  lived  to  witness  it.  It  would 
have  been  a  greater  joy  to  her  than  it  was  to  me, 
and  I  shall  not  attempt  to  minimize  the  exhilara- 
tion and  joy  which  surged  through  me  when 
Judge  Dunne  said  the  words  which  set  me  free 
from  an  unjust  bondage  which  seemed  eternal. 

While  I  was  thus  deprived  of  liberty,  my  in- 
terests in  the  district  were  protected  by  my  wife's 
niece  and  her  husband,  Nonie  Hollst  and  Herman 
Hollst,  who  resided  continuously  on  the  district, 
and  attended  my  wife  in  her  last  days.  I  had 
other  friends  and  agents  also  who  assisted  them 
in  caring  for  my  interests,  although  some  depre- 
dations were  committed  in  my  absence.  After 
my  release  I  was  on  the  district  almost  every 
day  looking  after  my  affairs  in  person  as  well 
as  by  agents. 


Tried  for  Murder  293 

After  a  time  I  built  a  commodious  brick  build- 
ing upon  the  premises,  and  have  ever  since  resided 
therein  with  my  family,  having  married  an 
estimable  lady  from  Indiana  in  April,  1906.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Elma  Lockwood.  Her  father 
was  a  famous  lawyer,  and  had  often  given  me 
advice  in  former  years.  I  was  extremely  fortunate 
in  this  union  to  obtain  a  companion  blessed  with 
indomitable  courage  and  fighting  blood. 

Considerable  fuss  was  made  in  certain  quarters 
at  the  time  I  moved  into  my  new  building,  but 
it  was  a  tame  affair  compared  with  the  old-time 
encounters.  My  friends  rallied  about  me  in  great 
numbers  and  gave  me  a  rousing  house-warming 
party.  The  police  were,  of  course,  still  hostile, 
but  this  time  they  apparently  had  no  orders  from 
on  high,  and  did  not  cause  much  trouble.  Per- 
haps they  had  been  instructed  to  use  bluff  and 
bluster,  but  to  go  no  further.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  they  were  told  the  courts  of  law  are  the  only 
arbiters  of  title  to  real  estate,  and  that  they  can- 
not interfere  between  contesting  parties  and  at- 
tempt to  decide  the  matter  themselves  and  there- 
upon eject  the  party  they  believe  to  be  an  un- 
worthy claimant. 

Our  days  have  consequently  been  more  peace- 
ful in  recent  years,  although  we  are  always  pre- 


294  Captain  Streeter,  Pioneer 

pared  to  defend  our  rights.  Trespassers  are 
driven  off  the  premises  almost  daily;  unwarranted 
signs  of  realty  dealers  are  torn  down  and  used 
for  kindling  the  morning  fires;  and  the  persons 
nailing  them  on  fences  and  buildings  are  driven 
away  whenever  seen.  I  have  also  prevented  the 
fencing  of  all  lots  to  which  I  now  claim  title, 
with  a  few  exceptions.  I  have  rented  and  sold 
many  lots,  and  have  exercised  sole  dominion  and 
authority  continuously  over  the  district  against  all 
comers — against  the  whole  world. 

Recently  one  little  action  has  been  commenced 
in  a  civil  court  to  test  the  ownership  in  reality  to 
the  two  lots  upon  which  my  house  is  now  stand- 
ing, but  it  was  brought  under  the  subterfuge 
name  of  an  action  to  partition  this  real  estate  be- 
tween persons  who  pretend  to  be  the  real  owners 
of  this  realty,  and  who  pretended  in  their  petition 
to  be  unaware  of  the  exact  nature  of  my  posses- 
sion, which  fact  they  however  admitted,  and  made 
my  wife  and  me  parties  thereto,  and  asked  that 
we  be  required  to  appear  and  set  up  whatever 
claim  we  might  have  to  said  lots  or  suffer  default. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  we  have  appeared  and 
by  our  answer  and  cross-bill  given  them  the  warm- 
est reception  that  they  have  ever  experienced. 
It  has  been  a  surprise  party  to  them. 


Tried  for  Murder  295 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  weary  the  reader  with 
the  details  of  these  pleadings.  In  my  cross-bill  I 
have  fully  set  out  the  conspiracy  which  was  con- 
cocted years  ago  to  rob  me  of  my  possession  and 
lands,  and  the  conspiracy  which  is  now  being 
conducted  in  the  management  and  manipulation 
of  this  suit  by  the  parties  and  lawyers  in  charge 
thereof. 

In  due  time  this  case  will  be  tried  on  its  merits, 
and  the  facts  elicited  before  a  jury  of  our  peers, 
who  I  feel  confident  will  do  justice  to  me  and 
mine.  If  they  will  not  do  justice  to  one  who  has 
in  years  gone  by,  in  the  darkest  hour  of  our 
nation's  history,  shouldered  a  musket  to  defend 
their  firesides,  and  the  glorious  institutions  and 
principles  of  our  forefathers,  then  to  whom  will 
they  do  justice?  Let  their  finding  of  facts  make 
answer,  and  the  Court  will  adjudge  accordingly. 
I  am  confident  of  ultimate  victory,  for  my  cause 
is  founded  in  justice  and  equity.  Why  should  I 
not  prevail? 


SERS.TYOF.LLINO.S-URBAHA 


